


What It Means to be Alive

by jimblebird



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hospitals, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, I’ve returned with even MORE character studies about even MORE underrated characters let’s go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:42:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23063410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jimblebird/pseuds/jimblebird
Summary: Ever since he was a child, Nekomaru Nidai was told that he didn't have much time left. Following after that, trying so desperately to prove the statistics wrong, Nekomaru makes sure to live a life without regrets.But over time, there's a nag in the back of his mind. It was the simple truth: he didn’t want to leave.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Nanami Chiaki, Nidai Nekomaru & Kuwata Leon, Nidai Nekomaru & Nanami Chiaki, Nidai Nekomaru & Owari Akane, Nidai Nekomaru/Owari Akane, many other relationships as well just not listed bc I want to retain my sanity
Comments: 82
Kudos: 74





	1. Childhood

**Author's Note:**

> ...Hey I'm backkkkk !!
> 
> So sorry for the long awaited return...Not making any excuses, but college work and high school combined totally killed my motivation to write anymore. I've been having this story in my head for like a long time, but I couldn't really get it together...UNTIL NOW. HAHA! I promised to come back and now I have! I'm also so happy that you guys loved my last work enough to give it that much appreciation...Really, I thank you all so so so much. 
> 
> Normally I would feel nervous as hell posting a new fic, but honestly you guys have given me so much confidence that I want to keep going. I hope that others are also interested in Nekomaru, bc he's honest to god AMAZING and he doesn't get appreciated enough. I'm not saying that he's hated, bc he isn't. He's just usually played for the ever so hilarious shit jokes and honestly?? Nah. He's way more than that so I'm planting my butt down and writing content that delves into his past and his current character. I think it has a lot of potential for a story and you know what? I'm going in.
> 
> I just recently replayed DR2 with a friend...and the memories came flooding back...(WHAT A GAME...GOD) Obviously I HAD to write something right!? Also I can't believe the lack of Akanidai content but also I totally believe it at the same time. I guess I just needed to come back and write some more, huh ; ) anyway, hope this all goes good

  
It all started with a trip to the doctor’s office. And another. And another. Then one visit led to the next, and now a young boy stared at an empty ceiling with no motivation in his frail body. There was a window with the curtains drawn back, and a vase of yellow flowers by the table side. It was deathly quiet, save for the monitor by the bed. A slow and steady beep made its way to his ears.

He was numb all over, especially in the chest area. They were trying to fix it, that was what his mother had said. But his mother was tired and overworked, so of course she would say something like that. He realized that it was a hopeless situation. A condition like this was never going to go away naturally.

It was lonely in a hospital room. The only company he would receive would be a nurse that would try to encourage him, worn out doctors, and his parents, who were working overtime just to cover for his...condition.

He was used to hospital visits. He had gone through them for years and years, but there came a point when it wasn’t worth it anymore. He knew he was going to die, and it sucked. When he was about 4 years old, he was diagnosed with a lethal condition; a heart condition that would kill him before he would turn 20. The only life he could remember was locked in a hospital’s walls. But now, at 12 years old, it was just so natural to him. It was repetitive and boring and altogether horrible, but he was used to it. It was the only life he knew, after all.

He heard the door knob turn, and he immediately went to turn over in the bed. It must have been a nurse or something.

“Good morning, Nekomaru.” said the nurse as kindly as possible, “I’m going to have to take some blood. Is that okay?”

“...Yes, that’s fine.” 

“This won’t be painful. Don’t worry.” With a fake sort of happiness, the nurse swabbed his inner elbow, and taped a needle to his arm. He didn’t close his eyes in pain, for he was used to it by now.

After it was over, he could feel her eyes linger for a longer time than usual. She must have pitied him. “Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yeah.” That was a lie. He didn’t sleep at all.

“That’s good. Please let us know if you need anything, okay?” The nurse smiled at him, “And your breakfast should be here shortly.”

“Thank you, miss.” he wanted to be polite. After all, it wasn’t their fault he was still here. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. 

After a short minute, the nurse was gone. She seemed stressed, based on the slight tremble of her voice. Nekomaru felt bad for her, but he didn’t want her sympathy. If anything, he just wanted to go home. It wasn’t like he would be happier, but the prospect of being in a familiar place was so close, and yet he couldn’t go back for a while. 

Breakfast didn’t even sound appealing. Nekomaru almost wanted to slap himself for thinking so selfishly. Someone would prepare that for him. He had to eat it, right? He couldn’t just let good food go to waste, but…

He really had no will to do it. What was the point of doing all of this anyway? He couldn’t keep continuing like this, to live a short life full of nothing but grey walls and hospital food. He craned his head toward the window, and wondered.

What was life like for other children? 

Sure, it probably had its ups and downs, but that was just life, wasn’t it? That was what a normal life was about. More than anything, he wanted to see that life. A slow and sick sort of longing struck his chest. What was it like to not wake up every day in pain? To walk around outside and laugh and play like everyone else? It sounded almost impossible, but he wanted to hope that one day, maybe he could achieve that dream. 

But then again, that was only a dream. 

**...**

  
He couldn’t go to school much, but when he did, the hospital sounded nicer. After all, it was the place he grew up in. It was somewhere that he didn’t need to conform himself.

It was a large middle school adorned with motivational posters in the hallways and the loudest group of children he had ever known. Of course, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. He was glad they were having fun, but he wished it wasn’t in the middle of the hall, where he was trying to walk through.

They were so distracted in themselves, in their little friend group, that they weren’t paying attention to anyone else. It was frustrating, for sure, but Nekomaru tried not to mind. It would be okay for now.

...Except that class had already started, according to the watch that sat on his wrist. A wave of panic shot through him. He was barely at school, so attendance mattered severely. He had to go now-

Apparently one of the kids was messing around with another, and was thrown back, caught in the middle of a laugh. His arm was propelled by this motion, and smacked Nekomaru right in the face. As a result, he was pushed downward, now on the tile.

The group stopped walking. Some of them gasped, and the one who had bumped into him only stared back. The others started to murmur as Nekomaru brought a hand up to his cheek. He must have been elbowed by accident.

“Oh, my god.”

“Is that the Nidai kid?”

“Dude, you totally decked him…”

“I did not! I didn’t-” The leader of the kids stood taller than Nekomaru did, though his stance was slightly crooked. He balanced his backpack against his shoulders. “It wasn’t my fault that he was right behind us. He should have been watching where he was goin!”

“Still, I mean...Doesn’t he have some disease or something? You don’t want to cause a heart attack, do you?” A shorter boy snickered to him, and the only girl in the group kicked him in the leg. “Ow! Wh-”

“Don’t be rude, you idiot.” 

“You were being rude by kicking me!”

“No, I wasn’t!”

He was pretty sure that the spot where the boy hit him was going to bruise, but he didn’t mind that much. With a forced smile, he shakily stood up to his feet. “It’s okay. I don’t mind.” The looks of astonishment stayed on their faces for a long time. Finally, they began to talk in the mostly empty hallway. 

“...You don’t mind?”

“Dude, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard him speak.”

“Are you for real?”

“His voice is so squeaky!” Another kid laughed. Nekomaru didn’t seem to understand that in fact, the boy was laughing at him, so he smiled. Interactions like these were rare, anyway. Teachers were the only people that had time for nuisances like himself. 

The leader hadn’t exactly said anything yet, but he didn’t seem to be comfortable. Maybe it was the guilt of hitting a frail child, or maybe it was-

“Why don’t you back off next time?” Instead, he said this. Nekomaru stood back in shock, and so did the rest of the kids.

“Kiyoshi, what are yo-” The girl cut in, her feeling of superiority hitting hard, despite the fact that she had been laughing with all the others.

“Shut up. Don’t you know how to keep your distance?” The leader, Kiyoshi, prodded Nekomaru in the center of his chest with force. He shrunk from the impact, feeling so tiny all of the sudden. He wanted to run away. That was usually what he did, anyways; running and hiding. Nekomaru really didn’t want to, but what could he even do? How could he respond to that? 

“I-I-” Nekomaru tried his hardest not to cry. His eyes were stinging again. “I’m sorry, I wanted to go to class-”

“Wanted to go to class? Ugh, we’re all late because of you!” Kiyoshi shoved harder, so hard that Nekomaru was pushed to the floor as his fingers went flat against the tile. The rest of the group gasped, but they didn’t even try to intervene. Either they were intimidated by Kiyoshi, or they didn’t care enough.

Nekomaru’s heart was beating fast again. He began to breathe shallow breaths, and the world didn’t seem like it was fully around him. Trying not to try was simply impossible, so he begrudgingly let himself do so. His arms curled around himself. If he were to play dead, then maybe they would leave him alone. It was pitiful, sure, but he had done it before. 

“He’s not even fighting back...” Kiyoshi’s voice wasn’t impressed, and he began to walk away. Soon enough, he called to the others, and the sound of several footsteps was heard echoing away from him. He stayed like that for a while, clutching his little body so fiercely that he was worried he might explode. He could barely control his heart rate, but he had to move, didn’t he?

He had to move. He had to. 

Wiping the tears away from his round face, Nekomaru pushed himself up again. His chest was really starting to clench, and it was painful to even breathe. But he couldn’t make trouble for anyone. After all, that was what happened earlier. He couldn’t let that happen again.

Using the last of his willpower, Nekomaru held his backpack’s slings and walked to class. 

  
**...**

  
It was raining again. Almost all the time now, a heavy downpour would hit the city. Where Nekomaru’s parents lived was a decent apartment amongst the chaos of everything around them. They were hardworking, good people. He knew that they would do anything for him, and it showed by the countless trips to the hospital. But now, as he laid in a cold and dark bedroom, Nekomaru didn’t want his parents to take care of him anymore. 

He could hear them outside of his room, talking so softly and yet he could hear them clear as day. It was about him. He didn’t know exactly what, but it was about him alright. Nekomaru wondered if the rain would conceal his tiny footsteps. He was lighter than the average weight of a twelve year old boy, so maybe that was possible. 

Using as much gentleness as he could, he slipped out from his small futon and crept towards the door. Outside would be the kitchen, where his parents must have been talking. He just had to open the door as quietly as possible. After all, he really didn’t want to bother them.

Eventually, the door was cracked open just a little bit, but enough to see his mother’s face and his father’s backside. The man was much taller than his mother, who was sitting on a chair, head in her hands. Nekomaru’s heart sank at the sight. Her voice was incredibly weak.

“I don’t know what to do, Yoshiro...I just-” His mother’s voice shook a bit. Nekomaru held the door frame as tightly as he could. 

His father was a bit more composed, but he could still tell that he was in pain. “It’s pretty damn bleak, I know.” He seemed to be holding onto a white sheet of paper. Nekomaru was used to seeing those. From the looks of it, it must have been a hospital bill. 

“How is our account looking?”

“...Not good.” His father began to pace, “But another surgery will be available for him soon, though. That’s what Doctor Hanako told me.”

“That’s the open heart one, isn’t it?” From what he could see, his mother’s hand met her mouth in a silent scream. “Oh, god...” Her shoulders began to deftly shake, as his father put a hand on the small of her back. It didn’t seem to comfort her much. She was so caught up in her own anxieties that she could barely notice anyone else.

“...Maybe this surgery will be the last.” his father hoped out loud.

“I hope you’re right. I swear, if I have to take him to that hospital one more time-”

Nekomaru stood farther in the doorway now. In a way, he still didn’t want to believe it. Another surgery? Was this going to be the last one? What about his parents? The money? Just how much would that cost?

“I can’t do this anymore, Yoshiro. I just can’t.” His mother whispered, her voice becoming almost silent. She had never once shown this side to Nekomaru, and he was more afraid than he had ever been in his life because of it. “From what Doctor Hanako said, with how long he’s going to live-”

“Don’t think about that right now, Nezumi. God, that’s the last thing I need right now.” From the way his father snapped so harshly, Nekomaru was shot back a couple inches. His father was usually so calm. Just what was going to happen?

“I-I’m sorry.” his mother cried.

“No, I-” His father swallowed back his pride, and sat next to her. “Forgive me. I just-”

“I know.”

They didn’t say anything after that, only leaning against each other in a stoic silence, hands clasped together. Nothing else was heard except for the pitter of rain on the weak rooftops. Nothing better was going to happen, was it? With a restrained breath, Nekomaru forced himself away from the door and tried desperately to go to sleep. But he just couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried.

  
**...  
  
  
  
**

The next hospital room was different from the rest, mostly because there were two beds instead of one, and another child was already sitting there. He wasn’t asleep, just smiling as the nurse led Nekomaru into the new room. His mother anxiously waited behind them.

“Here, Nekomaru.” The nurse guided him by the shoulder, “Is this okay for you?”

It really wasn’t. He didn’t know how to speak to this boy. He didn’t want to make him angry, and get punched as a result. Still, he nodded and quietly agreed. He couldn’t make a fuss. He knew better than to do something selfish like that. For his mother’s sake, he just needed to calm down. 

Nekomaru was placed into the empty bed, which sat parallel across from the other boy’s. His mother smiled at him, and he smiled back. He just hoped it was convincing for her. She stepped closer toward the bed, and took his small hands into her own.

“Are you going to be okay, Nekomaru?” She was always so gentle with him. More than anything in the world, he wanted to hug her and never let go. 

“I’ll be okay, Mom. Don’t worry.” he smiled again, a bit genuinely this time around. 

“You’re so brave.” his mother whispered, kissing him on the forehead. She backed away, eyes wet. “I’ll see you soon, Nekomaru, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Okay, good...Bye bye.” She seemed to be in a sort of trance as she was led out of the room by the nurse. He could hear them talking outside once the door closed. It was something about the surgery, and the other boy. Now he was just alone with said boy. It made him extremely nervous.

So instead of talking to the smiling, weird child next to him, Nekomaru faced the wall and stared lifelessly. Maybe if he pretended to be fascinated with pale blue paint, he wouldn’t have to-

“Hello!”

He froze in place, carefully looking over his shoulder to see the boy smiling at him even more than before. It was a strange look. First of all, the kid didn’t seem like he was trying to be malicious. He was just overly curious, if anything. The boy had bright green eyes and an even brighter grin. There were warm freckles splashed across his face, and he had apricot hair falling near his eyes. He looked more like the human embodiment of sunlight, which intimidated the crap out of him.

“My name is Daisuke Karahashi. What’s your name?” Another thing to note was that his voice was too loud for a hospital setting. It wasn’t that he was yelling, but more like he wanted to be here. That made no sense at all.

“I-I-” Nekomaru decided that he really hated how his voice sounded. The boy waited patiently for an answer, leaning on his elbow for support. “Nekomaru Nidai...”

“Oh, I really like that name. Do your parents like cats or something?” 

It was strange. This kid didn’t seem to have any alternative motive. In fact, he wanted to talk to him. It was just so unusual. Usually, he was avoided like he was the plague at school. So why-

“Because, y’know. Your name has ‘Neko’ in it? I thought it sounds really cool, actually! I’m more of a dog person myself, but cats are great as well. My sister has one at home. His name is Anmitsu. What about you? Do you have any pets? What about-”

“Agh!” Nekomaru couldn’t take it anymore! Why was this kid talking so much?! They were in a hospital for crying out loud! “I-I don’t-”

“Oh, am I talking too much? Sorry, I get told that I talk too much…” Daisuke went quiet for a little while, letting the sunlight hit his skin near the window he laid by. Then, he popped back to life. “It’s just really interesting, y’know? I’ve never roomed with another kid before! I mean, once I was roomies with some weird guy. He kept talking to himself, and I-”

Nekomaru responded by his head falling into his pillow. To a normal person, it looked like he just suddenly dropped dead. 

“Oh, Nekomaru? You kinda fell right there.” Daisuke said. He didn’t respond, and Daisuke finally seemed to take the hint. “Oh, you don’t wanna talk? That’s okay.”

Daisuke pulled his knees up to his chin and thought out loud, “I guess I am a bit annoying, so I’m sorry about that. It’s just-” He paused, “That’s just what I’m used to doing, y’know?”

After a moment of silence, Nekomaru fearfully raised his head above the pillow. Daisuke seemed to notice, but he tried not to pay him any attention, probably not to scare him again. “I’m 13. How about you?”

“...12.”

“Wow! We’re only one year apart! That’s awesome!” Daisuke smiled brighter than the sun, and Nekomaru was sure that this kid was not human. He didn’t act at all like the kids at his school. Just who was this kid? What did he want with him?

“I guess they paired us up for a reason, huh? Do you think that’s it? Or maybe...It’s because the hospital was too full already?”

“Maybe.” Nekomaru muttered. It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to talk, but more like he barely knew how. He was only good at talking to adults, after all. He weakly smiled at the boy, trying to send him a subconscious message that maybe he could understand. 

Seeing his miniscule smile, Daisuke scooted up farther in the bed, and suddenly moved his hospital gown to the side, so that he could see his chest. Right where the heart was supposed to be, Daisuke had a small scar that spread from the top to the bottom of his pec. “Yeah, maybe you’re just like me.”   
  
  
**...**

  
Daisuke had a lot of visitors each day. It was crazy how many that one boy had. And with each one, he held the same amount of gratefulness in his heart. Nekomaru was sure that this kid was a reincarnation of Jesus or something, because he didn’t seem to have a single flaw...Well, maybe except for his noisiness.

But everyone seemed to love that about him. Daisuke Karahashi was apparently the most popular boy Nekomaru had ever met. He wasn’t brash or cocky or even depressed from his current situation. Every single moment, he either smiled or laughed. It didn’t irritate Nekomaru per say, but it fascinated him beyond belief. 

The guests brought balloons and candy and small, stuffed animals of all kinds. By sunset, the boy’s bed was filled with so many unnecessary items that it made Nekomaru’s heart hurt just a bit. He didn’t want to feel jealous, but he couldn’t really help himself. With parents that barely had time to visit, Nekomaru basically had no one at all. But still, that wasn’t some excuse to be petty.

“Hey, Nekomaru.” A small piece of candy fell from the air, and Nekomaru almost jumped out of his skin. It landed square on his head. 

“Agh!”

“Oh, sorry! Sorry!” Daisuke laughed again, “I really didn’t mean for that to happen. Here’s another one!”

“Wh-Why are you-” Nekomaru closed his eyes as another piece of candy dropped into his lap. The kid’s aim was immaculate. “Why are you giving me all of this?”

“I won’t be able to eat all this candy by myself. C’mon, help me out here!”

“Oh…” Nekomaru blinked himself out of his shock. His face began to heat up. “Thank you very much!”

Daisuke stared for a moment, clearly bewildered by the exclamation coming out of the quiet boy’s mouth. “Yeah, it’s no problem. I do appreciate all that they’ve done for me, but I can’t just let it all go to waste, y’know?”

“Yeah…” Nekomaru tightly held the candy bars in his hand. For some reason, he didn’t quite feel like eating it yet. It seemed too special to eat right now. Besides, his appetite these days was scarce. 

The sun was still setting peacefully over the urban skyline, letting an orange hue warm the room. Nekomaru thought of his mother and father, working in their seperate jobs to secure his place in the hospital. He suddenly felt guilty, and almost sick. He glanced over at his roommate, who was contemplating something fiercely in his mind.

Before now, Nekomaru had never spoken without someone speaking first. But now, he just had to know. Gathering all of his courage, he slammed his hands on the covers as he shouted out a question.

“Whowereallofthosepeople!?”

“Wait, what?” Amused but mostly confused, Daisuke laughed a bit. “Who were those people?”

“Yes! I would...like to know, if that is okay with you!” From his father, Nekomaru learned that raising your voice slightly could work in your favor. He really wasn’t seeing how this was going to help him, though. The most it did was make Daisuke giggle a bit. 

“Yeah, that's okay with me. Basically all of those people were from my school! Well, most of them.”

“Friends?” Daisuke must have been the most popular boy at school, judging by how many “friends” there were. For god’s sake, even people older than 40 were there! Were those the teachers? Did he have the entire school on his side?

“Yeah, that really big group you saw earlier was my baseball team, though I don’t play for them.” Daisuke paused again, thinking. “Do you like sports, Nekomaru?”

All of a sudden, a light seemed to flicker on. Nekomaru smiled to himself, remembering playing soccer with his father in the park. That was so long ago, and he could barely recall the memories, but still...It was so faint, and yet so close at the same time. 

“I love them.” he said, quiet but still sincere.

“Really? That’s great! I do, too, if you couldn’t already tell. But I don’t really play per say...I just help the team, manage them, stuff like that. Basically, I’m their coach.”

“Manage them?” Nekomaru asked. He didn’t realize how much he had come out of his shell. “Doesn’t that sound boring?”

“Nah, not at all! You just don’t get it. First of all, it’s not like I don’t ever get to talk with the team members or something dumb like that. It’s like I’m-” Daisuke’s eyes flickered, “It’s the most fun someone can have! It’s so...rewarding, y’know?”

“But then you won’t be able to play…”

“I don’t care about that. What’s important to me is their victory.” Daisuke seemed very proud of himself, but not in a narcissistic way. He seemed joyful, almost. “People can do great things with just a bit of guidance and hard work. Don’t you agree, Nekomaru?”

“I-I don’t…”

“Without a coach, what would a team be?” 

Nekomaru genuinely didn’t know how to respond to that. He honestly didn’t think of that before. Coaches were usually out of the question for him, and probably many others. What was most important was the star player, or the way that one person used that kick, or-

“I don’t know…” Nekomaru pondered. He really didn’t know.

“They wouldn’t be a team, Nekomaru. That’s what they would be. Without someone to guide them, they’d get disorganized and clumsy. Now, with good structure and discipline, they’d be fine! You see?” It was like a switch flipped in Daisuke. He usually didn’t act so serious, so committed as he was right now, talking about a team he couldn’t play in. 

“I kinda get it now.”

“Yeah, see? I’m sorry, I can’t help but get really hyped up about this, but coaching them is really my dream.” Daisuke had a loving look in his eyes, “It’s the best feeling in the world; when you see how far they’ve come, and when they win the big game!”

Nekomaru didn’t say anything, so Daisuke continued. “And it’s just awesome to see the athletes you’ve put your time and effort into, smile when they succeed…Because they know that they’ve done well. That’s the best part.”

“Wh...What about if they don’t win?”

“They still gave it their all, didn’t they? It doesn’t even matter.” Daisuke couldn’t help but grin, “And besides, no team loses when I’m in charge.”

He was definitely being brash, but Nekomaru couldn’t help but be entranced. There was something about his swelling confidence, his encouraging smile, that for some reason, he couldn’t seem to look away.

“I...I see.” He hadn’t really thought of that before. Daisuke really didn’t seem like he wanted to be prideful. Maybe it was just his overwhelming sense of confidence. It had only been five days since he had met the boy, but he felt like it had been months. There was just something about him. Something, something, something.

**...**

During the short time they had known each other, Daisuke had taught him a lot of things. Most of this information was just whatever he felt like talking about in certain moments, and sometimes it was just...odd.

“Okay, so this is how you gotta do it, Nekomaru!” He definitely had a coach mentality. He was strict, but honorable, never once stopping his bellows from reaching the halls of the hospital. If he wasn’t cheering, then the nurses might have barged in to see if he was okay.

“Ah, so I have to lean my head backwards?” Nekomaru tried his hardest to balance the spoon on the tip of his nose. Clearly the hospital wasn’t the place to have loads of fun, but Daisuke had made a challenge of sorts. When you were a regular patient, you had to make do with what you were given, Nekomaru supposed.

Still, the amount of energy this boy had was overwhelming. “Yeah, but not too much! Make sure that the gravity doesn’t tip it down again!”

“Okay…” Nekomaru concentrated as hard as he could, and screwed his eyes shut. He didn’t feel the aluminum touch his face, and so he opened his eyes again. “Oh! Look at it!”

  
“You did it, Nekomaru! Great work!” Daisuke cheered, “Now try to keep it on as long as you can!” 

He didn’t falter from the boy’s encouragement. That kid could make anyone succeed, it seemed. Even if he wanted to move or blink, he couldn’t let himself do so. He had to win this once!

“Yeah! Look at you go!”

Eventually, the spoon had to fall. It flipped off of his little nose and onto the tile flooring. A clatter was heard throughout the room, stunning Daisuke into silence. Nekomaru winced in preparation for the boy to berate him, but nothing came. He did hear something peculiar though, and that was the soft sounds of laughter.

Daisuke’s content laugh was music to his ears. The way he squeezed his eyes shut and clutched his scar ridden chest, it released something inside him that hadn’t been heard in a long time.

So Nekomaru laughed, too.

**...**

  
It had been two long weeks, about to be three. Nekomaru could sense the due date coming a mile away. He knew it was there, watching him not unlike a predator that stalks its prey.

He was terrified. 

Sure, surgeries tended to be quite routine these past couple of years. He knew better than to just worry himself exhausted. But he couldn’t help it. He didn’t know how long he could take the stress, certain that it would end up killing him before a surgery couldn’t even take place.

The days got longer. Daisuke must have been nervous as well, though he didn’t show it. Their bodies had to be both prepared for something so invasive, so that was just how life was now. Sitting in a small room with only one window was enough to drive most people insane. 

“Nekomaru…?” 

This must have been the first time he heard Daisuke sound so weak, so vulnerable. Luckily for the energetic boy, he piped up fast enough for a normal person to not notice. But Nekomaru did.

“Yeah?”

“Well, it’s just weird, you know?” Daisuke put his arms behind his soft hair. “Living like this? I dunno, it’s just weird.”

“It’s lonely.”

“Yeah...Yeah, it is.” Daisuke hummed thoughtfully. 

It was lonely, but at the same time, Daisuke seemed to make it better. Maybe it would just take a little more time. Maybe just a little more, and the two of them could leave this place for good. It could be the final surgery both of them would have to endure. No more hospital food, no more tossing and turning to never sleep, no more weakness surrounded by thick walls. Maybe...if there was a way, he could be free.

Maybe.

  
Daisuke had taught him a lot of things in the short time he had known him. Nekomaru still wasn’t sure how to ever repay him, how to thank him for the happiness the boy brought along with him. It was so strange, and yet he couldn’t help but be affected. He just had to-

His own voice rang out from the silence, “Daisuke-”

Almost at once, the boy looked at him with a patient and steady grin, “What’s up?”

“I, um…” He didn’t want to stall. Not right now. Carefully, he picked out the next words he would say. “Thank you, Daisuke.”

It was one of the first times he had seen the boy flabbergasted. He seemed totally beside himself; a rare expression on the face of a calm child. “For what? I don’t understand what you gotta thank me for...I mean, I’m sure there’s a lot of people who are better to talk to than me.”

Nekomaru didn’t answer, and that was good enough. Daisuke nodded, understanding at once. “Oh.”

It was completely dark outside, so it was difficult to see the other boy’s reaction. However, his voice spoke volumes. Nekomaru knew that it was pathetic. After all, Daisuke was the only child his age that managed to-

“No, I should be thanking you, Nekomaru!” Daisuke laughed, and the other almost coughed.

“What?! Why?”

“After all you’ve been through, all this crap with the surgeries and those stupid heads that bother you, you wanted to open up...to me.” Daisuke pondered out loud, his voice faint. “That’s a really big deal, and I have to thank you for that.”

“No...I was the one who needed to thank you!” Nekomaru cried out, “I-I haven’t felt like this in so long, and I...I…” His voice faded into a mumble of silence. His throat felt tight, and so was the blanket that he held between his hands. 

Daisuke smiled earnestly, despite everything. “Oh...Well, why don’t we just thank each other? That way, both sides can win.”

He hadn’t thought of something like that. Maybe that could work. Nekomaru thought for a moment, and sighed. “Okay...Uh, thank you, Daisuke! For everything!”

“Thank you, Nekomaru! You’re the best!”

After the resounding call of his friend, Nekomaru giggled a little bit. It felt nice to laugh again. Daisuke probably just didn’t realize how much he had helped him. Maybe he was stubborn, or maybe he was just modest. 

A comfortable silence filled the room, and soon enough, there was a vice around his chest. It wasn’t too sharp, not like usual, but it lured in the anxiety that was probably hiding away. There was an awful feeling that maybe something was awry. It hurt, and he didn’t want it to hurt. But he just had to know, almost as if there was something chasing him. 

“Are you scared, Daisuke?” He hated how feeble he sounded, but it was hard to change his voice at this rate.

“Am...I scared?” Daisuke sat up in the bed again. Nekomaru could tell that he was staring straight at him through the dark. He didn’t answer for a long while. “Yeah, I guess I am. Can’t help but be a little scared, right? I mean, we’re stuck here waiting to be operated on...It’s messed up.”

Daisuke sighed and moved a hand up to his face. “But like, I shouldn’t worry too much. That’s way out of my way and stuff…”

“Out of your way and stuff?”

“That’s not what I want to focus on. What I need to do is...well, support my team, and do what I can to get better…” Daisuke took a deep breath, “Because I need to be there. I really, really want to be there.” There was a moment where his words faltered in a weak mumble. It was perhaps the most honest he had ever seen Daisuke. He wanted to see more. He wanted to learn more.

“You should tell me more...maybe...About your team? Yeah, I think that could help a lot.” Nekomaru smiled, though he didn’t need to. In a way, he smiled to comfort Daisuke, even if he couldn’t see it.

“You really wanna hear about that? For real?” Daisuke scoffed, though it wasn’t malicious.

“Yeah...You should tell me, if you want.”

“Oh, okay...That’s great!” Daisuke laughed, “Maybe I should start by telling you by our pitcher. He’s so awesome, and he works so hard…”

And so Nekomaru listened. He listened to the descriptions of each player, of each game they had faced so far, of one day maybe being selected for national championships. He laughed along with Daisuke as he told him of the time when one of the players slipped in some koolaid. It was nice, and of course it led into a peaceful silence. He was almost asleep, his head lying sideways and eyes closed, when he heard Daisuke speak again.

“Hey, Nekomaru.”

It was a whisper in the dark, and he mumbled with exasperation before finally turning around. “Mhm?”

“When we-when we get out of this place, you should come to one of our games.” Daisuke sounded a little shy, and maybe a bit hopeful. Nekomaru’s heart quickened, and he was certain that a nurse would walk into the room because of it.

“You mean it?”

“Yeah! You could cheer them on along with me!” Daisuke grinned, “Everyone says that baseball is boring, but it’s really not. There’s so much to get hyped about, y’know?”

A flutter of excitement flew through his heart, and kept his breath short. No matter how hard he shut his eyes, Daisuke really wasn’t a figment of his lonely imagination. He was a real, breathing, human boy that sat a few feet away in a stark, white bed. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. It was just an elementary thought, but with someone like him as a friend, maybe things could turn out okay.

“I would love that.” Nekomaru found his soft voice, his happiness heard through the way it wavered.

“Good, I’m glad! I’ll make sure to introduce you to all of em, too.” He heard Daisuke turn around and face the wall, “Well, it’s pretty late and I’m pooped. Goodnight!”

The invitation really just felt natural to someone like Daisuke. There was so much more that he wanted to say, to ask him, but his mouth couldn’t find the right words. Maybe it was just because he was exhausted after a long night of talking. Maybe he was just content in a simple way. But he didn’t mind. Falling asleep was always the easiest thing with Daisuke around.

“Okay, goodnight.”

**...**

  
It was the next morning, long before anyone was up or any nurses decided to check in. The cold atmosphere of the hospital room wasn’t that chilling this time. Oddly, it was comforting. Maybe it was comforting because he knew he had someone with him. Someone like Daisuke. 

He glanced at the boy, who was sleeping a few feet away. His hand was hanging out from the bed, dangling near the floor. The blankets were messy, like always, but it was almost like he was barely awake. 

So Nekomaru decided to greet him with a small “Good morning.” 

He supposed Daisuke was still asleep, because there was no answer. But it was odd. Daisuke was almost always up before he was. It was probably the “coach mentality” or something that made him love mornings so much. Still, they were talking for a long time last night. No wonder the boy was still passed out.

So he waited another hour. Then thirty more minutes. The sun was starting to shine through the room a bit more. It was too strange. He couldn’t be that tired, right?

Nekomaru knew that getting out of hospital beds when you were sickly was probably a bad idea, but it was for a good cause. He just needed to check in on him. It never hurts to just check, Nekomaru thought to himself. 

He slipped out of his covers, actually freezing in place when his feet hit the floor. It was a foreign feeling. The sensation of tile in the morning was not something he was used to. Carefully, he walked closer to the edge of Daisuke’s bed. The hand was still hanging there, and his face was turned away from him. 

“Daisuke…” he whispered with a tiny grin. “Are you okay?” He meant for it to come out playful, and it did at first, but something was wrong. He poked gently at the cloth surrounding his friend. No response. Well, he was asleep. So there was no reason to be worried, right?

The weird part was, though, that the blanket was not moving up and down, like it would be on a resting person. In fact, Daisuke seemed a bit too still. It was almost like he was frozen. Just to be sure he was okay, Nekomaru leaned down and touched his hand-

It was as cold as ice. 

He fell backwards into the side table. The jagged corner poked him hard in the side, and he didn’t scream out in pain. He could only stare, eyes wide, breath convulsing silently. There was no way. There was no way, no way, no way, no way-

He found himself pushing himself forward suddenly, hands coming to Daisuke’s sides and shaking them. He found himself whimpering as well as his throat tightened. He felt sick, like he had to faint. He was going to die. He was going to…

“D-Daisuke! Daisuke, wake up!” His cries were getting ever so frenzied, and it didn’t help that he couldn’t even see anymore. Everything was getting colder, getting farther and farther away from him. “Daisuke, you have to wake up! Please! W-What about the game, Daisuke!?”

Daisuke Karahashi could not be dead. Not after last night, not after everything he promised. 

“What about the game...What about th-” Nekomaru felt someone’s arms quickly pull around him and drag him away from the bed. He was in hysterics. Nothing was really felt, but at the same time, he felt too much. Everything hurt so much, and it wasn’t going to stop.

**...**

  
He had died in his sleep. From what the nurses had said, it was a heart attack. He didn’t even realize he was going until he was gone, they said. The body was escorted out of the room, and many of the hospital staff steered him away from the corpse of his friend. His friend.

Nekomaru’s mother had finally come to visit him, dragging him into a close hug. He never wanted to let go, but he also wanted to punch a wall. There was an anger that was still manifesting inside him. It was an anger mixed with a cold fear of the unknown. It made his stomach queasy. His eyes burned from crying for too long. 

Nekomaru closed his eyes into his mother’s embrace, and tried not to scream.

  
**...**

  
It had been 6 days since the death of Daisuke Karahashi. He had heard that a funeral was to be planned. Every lingering nurse, every person that checked on him made Nekomaru feel even worse. He would hear Daisuke’s voice all of the time, and yet he knew he was already gone.

He hadn’t known Daisuke for very long, but he wanted to learn more. Never in his life had he met a more life altering, patient, kind person. And now he was just gone. He was never going to come back. That part hurt the most. It made him want to throw up.

They both had the same condition. So why couldn’t it be him? Nekomaru had little to lose. He was a coward, a weakling that hid behind walls and a soft voice. Daisuke was something. He had something. He worked with a team that loved him, and he was going to succeed in life. He was going to help people. Daisuke was everything that Nekomaru admired, and now he was dead.

There was nothing he could do about it. He was just dead. 

  
**...**

  
The surgery was coming around the corner. He knew that there was a good chance he would never wake up from it, and a strange part of him wanted that. He knew Daisuke wouldn’t want that of him, but he couldn’t help it as he stared into the bathroom mirror, contemplating his own life.

His hair was too messy, and there seemed to be no way of fixing it right about now. He needed to wake up, and do something, right? That was what Daisuke would have told him to do. He needed to...He needed…

He started to cry again. It was softer this time, and it hurt even more. His lip was quivering as he tried to suck in more breath. It was getting hard to even take in air, but he couldn’t...He didn’t want to give up. He knew that it was wrong to do that, but…

What about Daisuke’s team?

That thought hadn’t crossed his mind before. He was simply too caught up in grief to realize that Daisuke indeed, coached a baseball team. They were probably going to be in a championship soon, there was a funny story about kool aid, and they liked to go to ramen shops on Tuesdays. 

And now they had no coach, so now what? Without someone to guide them, they would be absolutely aimless. For god’s sake, Daisuke had told him that himself! So what was supposed to happen now? What the heck was he supposed to do?

As much as it hurt, and as much as he wanted to cry for hours, he knew that Daisuke had people that relied on him. Nekomaru couldn't let that slide. He needed to do something about it, though he wasn’t sure what. 

And the days moved faster, and so did his thought process. Nekomaru still didn’t want to live. Every single day was a dull puddle to walk through. Every single moment was draining and left him exhausted. The operation was a few days away, and then the next day, and then today. He couldn’t keep track of how many pills he had to take, or how little he had to eat. 

He was wheeled into a room full of tools and people in masks. It wasn’t the first time, and yet...He wasn’t afraid. Sure, maybe a little, but overall...There was a side to him that was completely ambivalent. Because he wasn’t afraid to die, not at all. But he had to wake up for someone, something. Even if he wasn’t sure what, he had to do something about that team. It haunted him constantly, invading his thoughts everyday. 

But as the anesthesia kicked in and he faded out of consciousness, he already knew what he had to do.

  
**...**

  
How long had it been? A week? A month? All Nekomaru knew was that his heart wasn’t nearly as horrible as before. He knew that the chances of a long term survival were still very low, but moving around wouldn’t cause him pain like it did months ago. At least there was that.

And at least he was standing here, in front of a small yard in the back of a middle school. He had his arms crossed, trying his hardest to seem sort of cool in front of people that hadn’t noticed him yet. It was a group of nine kids running around the field. They seemed clumsy, uncoordinated, and distracted by everything around them. 

It was incredibly painful to watch, so Nekomaru reluctantly pushed himself off of the fence and walked toward them. He felt awkward and unhinged. His hands were ghostly pale, and he probably looked like a corpse. Still, he had to keep walking. 

When he stopped in the middle of the field and cleared his throat, he almost wanted to shrink away from the boys who glared at him. But he couldn’t. He had to keep moving on, didn’t he? He just had to.

“U-Uh, hello there.” Nekomaru almost died on the spot. Come on, he had to act more confident! More confidence! “WOULD YOU GUYS LIKE A COACH?” He wanted to kill myself immeadiatley. Not that much confidence!

“You look 10, and who said anything about us needing a coach?” One of the boys said, stomping forward and glaring at Nekomaru in the eyes. It was true, Nekomaru wasn’t as tall as they were, but if they just listened-

“I know a broken team when I see one!” He put on the corny and fake bravado that every coach in the movies talked like. “Ha, so why don’t you...join my side as my athletes?!”

There was a stretch of awkwardness, and the boys started sneering at once.

“What the heck does that mean?”

“You’re not as cool as you think you are.”

“Is this kid serious?”

“Seriously, go back to kindergarten. I really think you need to go home.” The leader of the boys came forward and pushed lightly on Nekomaru’s chest. As much as he wanted to hide away and never turn back, Nekomaru pushed himself to stay calm. If he didn’t, then why did he walk all the way out here? Why did he do all of this in the first place?

  
“I-I…” Nekomaru swallowed, “Y-Your team looks super bad and disorganized. Now, with me as your leader-”

“God, shut up already! You don’t even go to our school…” Another boy sighed, “I don’t even know who you are!”

“Oh, my name’s Nekomaru.” he smiled, trying his best to appear friendly. However, the boys weren’t impressed. 

“What the hell kinda name is that?”

“I dunno. Sounds like a cat or something…”

Man, it was tough not having charisma, but he couldn’t give up. He just.-

The leader pulled his hat back and scoffed at him. His eyes were sharp and judgmental, but they were also...Hurt. He could tell that he was in pain. Now looking at the others, he could see clearly that their eyes were sullen with heartbreak, similar to his own. Suddenly, his chest felt tight. He wasn’t sure he could keep up the brash facade for this long, because now...

“Look, kid. Can you please go away?” The leader asked. He seemed exhausted. Nekomaru didn’t want to play along to note cards any longer. He had to say something real, and so he did. 

“I knew Daisuke Karahashi. He was...He was my roommate.”

As soon as those words came free, every boy froze in place. The air seemed to be zapped from the field. It was so quiet that you could hear tiny crickets dancing in the grass below. For a blip of a second, the leader’s expression was full of so much. The next moment, he was growling and pushing Nekomaru further back.

“You can’t just say that and expect me to deal with it! That’s not-” The leader stopped, and all the boys stood in place amongst themselves. Nekomaru’s rib cage seemed heavier than usual. It was intensely quiet, deathly silent once again. “You...were the other boy in the bed, weren’t you? When we visited?”

The leader had a hand over his eyes, to avoid sunlight or maybe something else. His fingers were slightly trembling. “Even if that’s you, there’s...no way that I can just…” He took a deep breath and straightened himself out. “You can’t just say things like that.”

  
“I’m sorry.” Nekomaru said, because he truly was. He hated saying what he said, but what better way than to get the point across? He needed to do this more than anything in the world, and he needed to tell them why. “Daisuke...Daisuke was so kind to me. I don’t know why, but he was. And he loved all of you so much, and I-”

“Leon, what the heck is he-” Another boy spoke up, only to be shushed by the leader.

The leader groaned, “Shh. Go ahead, guy...Give us a sob story.”

“But it’s not a sob story! I-I talked to him every day and night, and he never once forgot about any of you! He-He was so kind, and I-” Nekomaru’s voice broke at the worst time, and his eyes began to sting. He didn’t care if he cried right now. Now wasn’t the time to feel self-conscious. He could see Leon, the leader’s, cool eyes begin to slightly soften more. He lowered his fist, and also his hat. Nekomaru continued, “I want to help you, even if I’m terrible at it, and even if I’m weak and clumsy and I cry a lot. I just...I just don’t care anymore, okay?”

Every boy stared at him like they didn’t know what to say. Nekomaru tried his best to continue, despite his anxieties reaching beyond the safe point. “Daisuke taught me so much about you, and if I didn’t do anything, then...Then I’d feel useless. So...please.”

Finally, he saw a glimmer of insecurity in one of the boys. He dropped his head and sniffled a little. Another one nodded to what he said, waiting for the leader to speak, who was concentrated hard on the grass, his mind elsewhere.

“Please…” Nekomaru whispered again. “I’ll do everything I can. I just need to do this.”

The leader’s eyes finally met his, “You don’t seem to know a single thing about coaching, idiot!”

“I’ll learn. I’ll read lots of books. I’ll set a regime for all of you. I just want to help.” Nekomaru assured them.

“He seems really serious, Leon…” One of the boys murmured. Leon’s lip shook a little.

“I…” Leon dragged his hand across his jaw. He seemed to be at a loss of words. “I can’t believe this crap!” He started to laugh a little bit, causing the other boys to share looks of discomfort. Nekomaru was sure that he had already lost, so he prepared himself for rejection.

“Whatever!” Leon said instead, “Why not?”

Nekomaru was beyond shocked, but the team members had it even worse. Murmurs of discourse filled the air. He played with the hem of his sleeve, summoning up the courage to speak again. When he looked at Leon in the eyes, the boy seemed to be holding a small grin. It wasn’t a normal smile, more like the personification of the phrase “Shit happens.”

After the murmurs had died down quite a lot, Nekomaru forced himself to talk again. “Are...you sure?”

Leon shrugged, looking to the others for approval. No one seemed to really disapprove, so that was a plus. It was the complete opposite of how Nekomaru thought his day would go. “We’ll find out how you are, I guess.”

Leon didn’t seem sure, but Nekomaru didn’t care. They had accepted him, hadn't they? Now he had a chance! Forgetting proper social etiquette, he leaped forward and hugged the leader so tightly that the boy gasped. 

“What the-”

“Ah, I-I’m sorry- '' Nekomaru bashfully stepped away, and immediately bowed. “Um, thank you! Thank you so much!”

He knew that this was going to be a risk, and the other boys knew it as well. Nekomaru supposed that it was a random draw of luck, a hope for the future that maybe things could turn out okay. And as the sun hit Nekomaru’s hospital paled skin, he thought of Daisuke. He then started to think that maybe, just maybe, things could turn out okay after all. 

But first, he had to get to work.   
  
  
  
  
  



	2. How to Coach Your Team: For Dummies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sickly boy and a future baseball star begin an unusual camaraderie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I thought I would begin this chapter with a big thank you to the amount of support I have gotten for only the first chapter. I'm glad you guys are interested! It really means a lot to me : '' )
> 
> Second of all, sorry for the very late update. It's been tough with the virus that's been going around, and I also happened to get writer's block at the same time so blehhhhh.....So I hope you enjoy the chapter and PLEASE wash your hands and stay safe, everyone!
> 
> (P.S. Writing sports scenes is a painnnnnnnn because I'm not the sportiest person ever.....But I just wanna do the main man justice, so I gotta torture myself)

First of all, books didn’t help much. He had read plenty, and they all said the same things: set a regime, train, etc. And he knew all of that! He knew what he had to do, but he read every single “coaching for dummies” book anyway, desperate to absorb the material. It had been a solid, yet clumsy week. Nekomaru still felt his usual pains almost every day, and it was extremely hard to stay focused. Not to mention, the trauma from months ago still hung heavy upon his heart.

He wasn’t sure what the heck he was doing, if he was being completely honest with himself. His parents were still as busy as they usually were, but his trips to the hospital weren’t as frequent as before. That was good, wasn’t it?

Nekomaru supposed he had to become stronger as well if he planned to train so many kids. They weren’t even his age. Daisuke must have taught underlings when he was still alive. From how they reacted to Nekomaru’s proposal, they really seemed to love him, and for good reason. Daisuke was the best person he had ever known, even in that short period of time. He had to make it up to him, and lead his team to the championships. It was a promise made in his heart.

A promise...He had to keep that promise for as long as he could. Being a substitute coach wasn’t going to be easy. No one said it would. In fact, half of the team seemed to doubt him. 

Nekomaru didn’t take it personally. Besides the weirdness of the situation, the real challenge was his own body. With those frail arms and legs, as well as the sickly complexion, it was going to be the hardest thing Nekomaru would have to do.

But he wanted to be ready for anything.

**…**

  
  
  


“Okay, so…” Nekomaru looked down at a small notebook grasped in his small hands. The sunny field around them shook a little from the wind. “You’re, um, Leon Kuwata, right?”

“Yeah, duh. I guess you don’t know any of our names, huh?” he sighed when the other boy meekly nodded, so Leon continued with no enthusiasm whatsoever. “Alright, I’m gonna just introduce you, I guess. Come on.”

Throughout the course of under two minutes, Leon had forcefully introduced him to the other eight boys. Every one of them had a special place on the team. Nekomaru repeated each name in his mind over and over to memorize them. 

Daiju Aimoto, Hachiro Hamamoto, Fuyuki Chijimatsu, Isao Ariyoshi, Keizo Funayama, Jiro Esaki, Ren Hanamori, Junpei Kashibuchi, and Leon Kuwata. Those were a lot of names, for sure. The scariest thing was that these boys were much younger and smaller than him, and yet they could probably all kick his ass if he screwed up. He really didn’t need or want that, so he straightened out his back and cleared his throat for attention.

“Okay, so-” Nekomaru was interrupted, though, by Leon’s hand coming to smack his. “Huh?!”

“I didn’t finish introducing ya! Come on, man.” Leon scoffed.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t...understand.” he really didn’t. Leon had introduced him to the entire baseball team, and each one stated their name and occupation, some with a smile and some with not. What was there left to do?

“Eh, it’s cool. Lots of people miss her, anyways. Here, see?” Leon pointed to the side of the courtyard, where a bench sat in the shade. On that bench sat a very small girl. She had to be a year younger than the other boys, and two or three years younger than Nekomaru. Her hair was black and neat, and she almost had a doll-like complexion. She stared at the two of them, but mostly looking at Leon.

“That’s Kanon Nakajima, or like...my cousin! Say ‘hi,’ Kanon!” Leon cheered to the other girl, who slightly smiled in response. Leon turned back to Nekomaru. “She’s always been following me around ever since we were babies. Crazy, right?”

“Yeah...Crazy.” he forced a grin. 

“Yeah, it’s weird how she doesn’t get bored watching us...I mean, baseball is super boring and crap…”

“Boring? You think so?”

“I mean...It’s okay.” Leon shrugged, “But what you’re doing...It’s like, not gonna fix anything, you know? I dunno, I don’t wanna be a killjoy, but…”

Nekomaru didn’t say anything, only thinking. Leon sighed again, “We could have gotten an adult coach or something, but if you’re really that excited about coachin’ us…” Leon then sulked away toward his friends, who were talking amongst themselves. 

He really wasn’t that confident, if he was being completely honest. Each interaction he had out in the field honestly made him want to crawl into a hole and hide away forever. After all, his entire life was spent cramped away indoors and never talking to kids his age. He was used to loneliness, to weakness. Just how in the hell was he supposed to finish what Daisuke started? 

He couldn’t keep pretending, but…

Something snapped within him, and he forced himself to regain a clear mind as he shot forward toward the small crowd of boys. A false confidence came about him. It was so fake that he honestly wanted to give up right now.

“Okay, so let’s get down to business! How many hours of sleep are you guys getting?” He cringed right after he said it, and one of the boys (Junpei, he believed) snorted with amusement. All of the sudden, he felt foolish. 

“Uh, what?”

“I’m getting...like 7?”

“5 for me, ha.”

“Dude, that game kept me up so late! You wouldn’t believe it!”

Nekomaru glanced down at his notebook with horror. The numbers just weren’t doing good. “Um, if you’re getting less than 8 or 9 hours every night, raise your hand.”

Only two of the boys didn’t raise their hand. Nekomaru almost felt his jaw drop. “Wait, what?! That’s just…!”

“It’s not my fault I don’t get tired fast enough!” Daiju moaned. 

“Yo-You guys should know that 9 to 12 hours should be perfect for your age range.” Nekomaru tried to ignore his obnoxious stutter, suddenly wishing he stood over 6 feet with a voice that shook the skies. “I really think that-No, you have to live by a schedule if you want to achieve certain things, so…!”

Without any responses from the boys, Nekomaru flipped over to the next page. “Okay, let’s talk about...diet. You should all be eating at least 43 grams of protein each day. Are...you?” He looked up again to see braindead children.

“A what?”

Nekomaru weakly smiled, “That’s meat, eggs, beans, nuts, and all of that stuff.”

“Oh...Uh, I mean...I’m not sure…”

The rest of the responses he got were extremely weak. Nekomaru shook his head, “Okay, Kuwata, when is the next game?”

“A month from now, I think.”

“Okay, I think that’s good.” he flipped a page. “Today’s Monday, so we’re gonna start the regimen then. Building some cardio is a great way to start it, so go on, please.”

The rest of the boys stared at him dumbfounded, and Nekomaru realized with horror that he didn’t clarify himself. “I mean you should be running laps to warm up!”

“Laps? Eh, whatever. Come on, guys.” Leon rolled his eyes and started in front of the others. It seemed like the rest followed whatever he did, including his cousin, who rose from her comfortable spot on the bench. Nekomaru took this moment to close his eyes and breathe out as calmly as he could. All it took was a little rest. 

  
  


**...**

  
  


Home was just as quiet as before. Now that he was a little bit older and not as sickly as he once was, his parents trusted him alone at the house. That meant that they were gone almost all the time. It was lonely, but it was the loneliness he was used to. 

And on the bright side, all this time alone meant he had time to do some trial runs. Trial runs meant studying and perfecting the art form known as “homestyle cooking.” Nekomaru wouldn’t call himself a bad cook, but he wasn’t that great either. A few simple recipes were all he knew, but at least they were better than the simple food at the hospital he was so used to. 

Sitting on a stool in the kitchen, Nekomaru flipped through a cookbook he bought at a resale shop. There were a lot of things he could make, but it had to be something simple, something he could make constantly for 9 boys on a basketball team. They needed protein, something to keep them light on their feet. 

Eventually, he turned to an interesting page. It was titled “Onigiri/Rice Balls.” That seemed simple enough. He just needed to find ingredients lying around...What were the ingredients again? Steamed rice, sesame seeds, dried seaweed and whatever filling you could find? He could probably make that work. 

When all of the ingredients were laid out, he started to get to work. Prep time said at least 5 minutes, but he found himself being slowed by how little the rice was cooperating. Finally, he had made one singular rice ball, folded neatly into a triangle with shredded salmon inside. He carefully took a small bite, and couldn’t help but be pleasantly surprised.

Now he just had to make 9 more. It would be perfect for them, and it wasn’t much, but Nekomaru felt himself slightly smile at the thought. Even if they didn’t appreciate it, he couldn’t deny that doing something for another was satisfying. Maybe it was the thrill of a hopeful future reaction, or maybe it was just the content feeling of a job well done, of hopefully making someone truly happy, if only for a little while.

Nekomaru nodded to himself as he began to make more and more rice balls. His enthusiasm was building more and more, building faster than the rice balls themselves. _Yeah_ , he thought, _I need to chase that feeling._

  
  
  


**…**

  
  
  
  


The first time Nekomaru felt confident was when the team tried out what he had made for them. He saw the way their eyes lit up, smiles excited and boyish. He knew for the first time then that he had done something worthwhile, something good. That feeling of pride didn’t leave for a very long time. 

Jiro seemed a little less quiet than usual. His eyes were bright. “These are great, Nidai! How’d you make them?”

“Do you have any more?” Ren asked with a mouthful of rice.

The crowd of voices surrounded him with a warmth he had forgotten about. It held onto him so tight that he couldn’t let go, not now. “I...I just followed a recipe. Do you want me to make more?”

“Dude, yes…” Hachiro said.

“You better make a freaking truckload next time!” Leon shouted. 

Nekomaru couldn’t help but chuckle, “A-Alright, you got it.” He flipped through the notebook to where it said “Tuesday.” “Now we’re gonna be building your upper body strength. So let’s start with about 50 pushups.”

“50?!”

“What the heck?!”

“Daisuke didn’t even grill us that hard!”

At the mention of his name, Nekomaru winced a little. However, he kept up the facade. “If you guys haven’t been coached in a while, I guess I have to be a little strict, right?” He got a bunch of reluctant groans in response. “Come on, guys! 50 pushups!” He gave a signal, and the boys got to work. 

He couldn’t help but feel bad. Even if the boys were pretty spry-being in little league and all- they sure did seem like they were suffering. Leon was by far the most sturdy, counting up to 30 before most of them got to 15. It was no wonder he was the leader. Nekomaru crossed his arms and leaned against the shaded side of the school building, allowing himself to rebuild that “coach attitude” before the boys finished.

“You should get a whistle.”

“Huh-WHAT?!” He almost flew forwards and down toward the ground, until he realized that the voice coming from beside him was Kanon, Leon Kuwata’s little cousin. He had just...forgotten that she was even here. “A whistle, huh?” So much for that lucky break…

“Mmh. I think that would be good for you, since you’re Leon’s coach now. You better be good…” Kanon stared off wistfully toward Leon, who had just finished his set of 50 pushups. He was now standing and stretching. “Leon deserves the absolute best. You’ll be a good coach for him, won’t you?”

Weirded out to a huge degree, Nekomaru nervously scratched his neck. “I hope so.”

“Hm. Not good enough.”

Not good enough!? Just what was this child’s issue? “Well, I...Like I’ve said before, this isn’t what I’m used to doing…”

“Yeah, you were Coach Karahashi’s roommate. I know that, but you should at least try a little harder at this coach thing, because I dunno what I’d do if Leon failed thanks to you. I’d probs be really mad…”

He was simply dumbfounded. “L-Look, I know he must mean a lot to you, but the rest of the team matters as well. And I swear, I’m going to-”

“Nope. Leon matters the most.”

What?! Nekomaru couldn’t believe this child. “W-Well, I’ll make sure Leon never fails...I guess.”

“There, that’s a lot better!” Kanon smiled with a curt nod. “Except for the ‘I guess.’ That was pretty bad.” With that, Kanon pushed herself out of the shade and toward her cousin, a smile emerging on her face. Despite getting a decent night’s sleep, Nekomaru suddenly felt exhausted. 

  
  


**...**

Every day had a schedule. Slowly but surely, each boy was presenting themselves as more talented than they gave themselves credit for. Baseball also had too many rules to keep track of sometimes, but he supposed he had to keep moving. Another fact to note was that Nekomaru had bought a whistle, and tied it around a clumsy string he found around his home. Leon’s weird cousin was right, despite her...well, weirdness. 

Over the weeks, Nekomaru had made too many rice balls to count, and the team had travelled to different parts of the city. For example, the park, which was a great place to both relax and test their individual skills. As he watched the team finish their second lap around the park, Nekomaru smiled again.

Maybe it was really worth it, and maybe this could be good for him in a way. He was definitely happier than he was before. It was almost like helping these boys also helped himself. It wasn’t in a selfish way, he wanted to protest. It was definitely not a selfish feeling. He knew all about selfish feelings, and had been dealing with them his entire, miserable life.

Maybe all that fake bravo had paid off in a way. Compared to before, the world seemed brighter, more full of life. He was paying more attention to individuals on the street; their clothes, their faces, their friendships with others. It was a world he had never seen before, and he was captivated. 

Of course, he never truly wanted to leave the bed in the morning, always held down by a wave of self hatred and longing, but it was slowly melting away. He wasn’t sure what or why, but something was slowly changing for the better. He just had to hold on and never let go. 

  
  


**…**

  
  


On one particular day on the field, Nekomaru had let them practice whatever they felt like doing, within the range of constraint, of course. It was a nice day, one in which he hoped to get to know some of the boys more. There was also something interesting he noticed. Every single one of them seemed to be doing something productive, except one.

Curiously, he walked over to the boy in question. “Kuwata, why aren’t you practicing?” Leon was lying on the ground, previously engaged in conversation with Kanon. She looked angry as soon as Nekomaru appeared, and he tried his hardest not to appear terrified.

“Because I’m bored.” At least he was honest.

“He’s bored.” Kanon said.

“Well, uh, I’m pretty sure there’s something you can do…” Nekomaru scanned his surroundings for anything at all, and found a baseball bat, a lonely ball, and a glove. It was perfect. “Hey, let’s do this.”

“Let’s do what-” Leon turned his head to where Nekomaru was walking to, and groaned loudly. “No, that’s so annoying! C’mon, you’re really bumming me out, man.”

“I’m sorry, but you need to practice. It’s good for you…” Nekomaru lowered his hand down to Leon’s level, “Please?” He knew that wasn’t a very “coach” thing to say, but he couldn’t help it. After all, that wasn’t who he was. 

“Ugh, fine.” Leon was hoisted upwards, and the bat was placed between his hands.

“Okay, let’s practice some batting. Sound good?” Nekomaru winced at hearing himself try to be commanding. It was extremely cringeworthy, but he had to hang in there. Without hearing the boy answer, he ran away to a distance a meter or so away. “Get ready…!” He called, slipping the glove on and getting in the stereotypical position a pitcher would get into. 

It was when he threw the ball, that it happened. 

Absolutely out of nowhere, the ball collided with the bat, and it just disappeared right above everyone’s heads. He heard it sail away, a woosh of air nearly escaping impact with his neck. With astonishment, jaw dropped, Nekomaru saw the ball still flying miles and miles away. Then it vanished, gone so far he couldn’t see it anymore.

“I...I…” Nekomaru blinked several times, and Leon didn’t even seem to notice his huge achievement. 

“Hey, are we done now?” The boy called, seemingly bored with himself. (How could he be bored!?) He gave Nekomaru a somewhat friendly grin, and flopped back on the ground. 

Just what the heck was wrong with this kid? Nekomaru almost wanted to scream- in frustration, in amazement, in praise, but he wasn’t sure what to do. So he just mumbled something incomprehensible and walked back to his usual spot, wondering and wondering about Leon’s special power. 

  
  


**...**

According to the book, a positive and happy attitude always helped someone stay healthy. While lying in bed one night, Nekomaru wondered how often the boys hung out and bonded as a team. It probably wasn’t that often...Maybe just during school hours. That wasn’t enough. They wouldn’t win any games with a dull mind, now would they?

And that’s when he began to build an allowance, collected from the small amounts of money he had lying around his room. With his purchase of 11 tickets complete, Nekomaru had gathered about 54,506.48 yen from years of keeping it close to him. Boy, were they in for a surprise.

And they really were surprised. On the day before their big game, Nekomaru had taken them uptown to the popular amusement park that resided there. Sure, it had caused him to go broke, but he didn’t mind. What really mattered was their enjoyment, their contentment. Every one of them thanked him ten times over, but that really wasn’t what he wanted. All 9 of them had worked so hard. They really did deserve a day to have as much fun as they could.

They had gotten into the park without any problems, and the horde of excited middle schoolers rushed toward the back of the park, where the scariest roller coaster was supposed to be. Kanon was glued to Leon’s hip, never once leaving the poor guy alone. Nekomaru wasn’t sure what to think of her, but all he could do now was walk behind the group with a sense of knowing pride. It was rather nice that they had come so far, all in the span of the longest weeks Nekomaru had ever experienced. He supposed all of that hard work was worth it. With each passing day, he-

“Oh, my god! It looks so cool!”

“We gotta ride it!”

He was brought out of his daydreams when the shouts of the team awoke him. He blinked a few times, trying to make sense of how gargantuan the ride really was. He felt his heart drop to his stomach, and prepared himself to sit on the sidelines while the others went for a hellish ride.

“Here, let me take your bags.” Nekomaru called ahead to the boys, stopping them from moving any further. 

“What? Why?” Fuyuki asked.

“Wait. Don’t tell me you’re planning on sitting out! Come on, that’s baby stuff!” Leon laughed. Beside him, Kanon giggled with a hand in front of her lips. It was disturbing to say the least, how she basically did whatever he did. 

Nekomaru waved his hands dismissively, his smile passive. “...I’m your team manager, so I’ll just stay back here. Don’t worry, I’ll guard your stuff.” 

“That’s bullshit-Wait, sorry. That’s bullcrap!” Leon ran up to him, and grabbed Nekomaru roughly by the sleeve of his t-shirt. “You can’t just sit out on us!”

“But, I-”

“No buts! What, did you expect us to leave you out or something?”

“No, I was just-”

“Well, that's not happening! Especially not since you bought us those tickets! Come on!” Leon laughed as he pulled him closer toward his group of friends. Each one of them smiled brightly when Nekomaru joined them, and the warmth became softer in his chest. For the first time in his life, Nekomaru felt wanted. It was a nice feeling. 

At the end of it, half of the group was about to barf, and the other half was about to pass out from “awesomeness.” Nekomaru felt a little bit of both, trying to steady himself on a post. Who knew coasters went that high?! And that fast, too?

He felt a hand bump against his, and he looked up with blurry eyes. It was Leon, holding a photograph and grinning at him. “Hey, look at this.”

When Nekomaru tentatively took the photo, he recognized it as a rollercoaster photo, and every single one of them was screaming. He laughed at once, seeing the once foaming Leon in the photograph. The boy in question heated up in the cheeks.

“Aw, shuddup! I was gonna give it to you, too!” Leon sighed, but he eventually caught a smirk at the end of it. 

Nekomaru paused, “What? You’re gonna give it to me? Why?”

“Because what better way to remember us by?” Leon flipped over the photograph, and the words “Kiyose Higashi Middle School Baseball League” were written on the back with ink. 

“I-I…” he really didn’t know what to say. “Are you sure you don’t want to-”

“Nah, I got tons of pictures of them...Too many.” Leon said, “And I dunno what you’re planning on doing after this is all over, so…Here you go.” He placed the photo in Nekomaru’s hands, who was simply dumbfounded. 

“You don’t have to be so shocked! It’s just...uh…” Leon hung his head, “It’s not so bad having you around. In fact, for you to do so much for us...It’s-” His voice died out suddenly, and he gave Nekomaru a small smile, much different from the usual bold grins he dished out like nothing special. 

“I just want you all to do well.” Nekomaru murmured.

Leon puffed out his cheeks. “I know. I’m gonna get all embarrassed and crap, but it’s been easier with you coaching us. So you deserve the photo, alright?” 

“Okay, thank you, Leon.” That warm feeling returned stronger than ever, and he couldn’t help himself from hugging Leon tightly in front of countless people. He just couldn’t care less, and Leon screamed.

“Agh, what are you…!? Why are you hugging me like this?!”

“S-Sorry…” Nekomaru broke from the hug, looking away with hot shame. The last person he had hugged was his mother, and he barely saw her as it was...Maybe the hug was too strong. Had he crushed him? As the month went by, he had gained a little muscle, though it wasn’t much...Was that it?

Seeing the other’s embarrassment, Leon brushed it off with another one of his signature grins. “Nah, it’s cool. Just don’t want any girls seeing me being hugged by a dude!”

Girls? Why would that matter to someone of that age? Still, Nekomaru pretended to relate. “Oh, okay. I won’t do that again! Promise!”

“You don’t need to yell about it, hah. It’s chill.” Leon ruffled his own hair (perhaps to look “cooler”) and called out to the others, “Alright, who’s going on it a second time?!”

  
  


**...**

  
  
  


Nekomaru was restless. It was natural to feel so restless, wasn’t it? Lying alone in a cold and dark room seemed so familiar to him, and maybe that’s because it was. How long had it been since then? It had to have been a couple months, right? Man, did it seem like forever ago. 

It was very late, way too early to get out of bed. His body felt heavier than usual, and his hands were stiff under the sheets. He almost felt like he had a fever, but he wasn’t sure why. After all, he had a lot of fun earlier. What was making him so difficult?

Maybe it was because the game was tomorrow. It didn’t have to be such a big deal, but his stupid brain amplified any anxiety he had up to 11, making him unable to fall asleep. And that’s why he was all alone, head cushioned so far into one of his pillows.

Things were slowly getting better. They were. He knew they were, but fear still existed. Fear knew how to twist someone’s insecurities and destroy someone from the inside out. It came in small doses, and especially now, he was going through it. 

Sure, maybe the team liked him a little bit more, but where was this even heading? Nekomaru had nothing. He had no plan for the future, no real goal for himself as a person. In fact, the longer he kept acting this way, the more he felt like he wasn’t even Nekomaru anymore. Was he assuming _his_ identity? Was that what it was? He hoped not, hoped to anyone that could hear him, that he wasn’t impulsively taking a friend’s words and throwing his entire team into failure?

 _No, he didn’t want that,_ he told himself over and over. Maybe if he closed his eyes tight enough, even his own head couldn’t hurt him. And so he did just that, breathing unsteadily as he tried his hardest not to cry. He could hear voices outside his bedroom. His father must have been on the phone, coming home so early in the morning. 

More than anything, he wanted Daisuke to be proud of him. But...But that was a selfish wish. Daisuke Karahashi was never coming back. He had died a while ago. Nekomaru didn’t even go to his funeral. He had no right to get on the other’s level, to “steal his spotlight.” 

But he didn’t want that at all. He didn’t even want the credit. All he was, was just a simple stepping stone for a few kids that a boy had left behind. They needed anything, anyone to help them, and so-

_He missed him so much._

He couldn’t help it anymore. No matter how hard he tried to conceal his tears, they arrived without warning, driving him to throw his head back to the pillow. He squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing his face and trying his hardest not to sob outright. 

_“Crying was an example of showing weakness.”_

That was something that had been instilled in him since he was a child, and he cried anyway. The thing was that it didn’t feel as bad as it usually did, as if the voices of tormentors and bullies had drifted to a place far, far away. It was as if he had been holding in his tears for ages, and had a calming moment to just let it out.

Maybe that was a good thing. It seemed like something Daisuke would have said in that quiet hospital room. Maybe he would have given Nekomaru a kind smile, the kindest smile he had ever seen. And then they would have talked about something pleasant, and they would have laughed together. 

His heart hurt, but not in the reasons he was used to. For months, bottling up those emotions wasn’t going to get him anywhere. He had worked so, so hard, and what was even going to come of it? 

“When we-when we get out of this place, you should come to one of our games.” Those words had haunted him for a while now. How soft he had sounded, so much different than the usual energy he gave out like it was nothing. And now he wasn’t going to be there.

He sniffled against his sleeve, desperate to keep himself quiet enough to not alert his father. Crying...was not weakness, he objected silently over and over and over. Crying was not a weakness. What _was_ weakness was his constant denial, his shovelling of emotions and his urge to run away. He still didn’t believe it, but maybe if he told himself over and over, it would all make sense one day.

And then things would turn out okay. 

  
  


**...**

  
  
  


For a middle school baseball game, the stadium was pretty crowded. Nekomaru couldn’t seem to settle his nerves as he walked in, awkwardly rubbing his arm. Leon and the others arrived behind him, talking amongst themselves. Kanon, of course, was right beside her beloved cousin with a tiny grin.

“Leon, I know you’re gonna do great.” she told the boy, who smiled in return.

“Yeah, duh. Of course I am-I mean, we are.” Leon coughed, earning the glare of about half of the team. It was true that the boy was conceited to all hell, but he did have amazing potential. Nekomaru blinked, stopping himself before he went any further. Just what was he thinking? He sounded like a damn coach! Everyone sure knew he wasn’t one. 

“So when is the game gonna start?” Junpei asked Nekomaru.

“Uh, soon. Definitely within a half hour. I suggest you guys get ready until then.”

It took little time for them to actually start preparing, slipping on their gears and gloves and whatever else they needed. Across the field, the opposing team minded their business, but Nekomaru’s nerves couldn’t stop from being so fried. He wasn’t even the one playing, so why was he so terrified?

Maybe it was because he didn’t want to waste his only chance of helping a small group of boys. Maybe it was because this was the only moment of truth, to see if his attempts of leading a team really paid off. Carefully, he peered over to the team in question between his fingers. They seemed about as prepared as the referees on the field. That was good. Perhaps they were confident in themselves?

Curious, he walked over to them. “Hey, you guys. How are you all feeling?”

“Pretty okay” or “too hot” were the most common answers. So it wasn’t the end of the world! That was great news for a beginner like Nekomaru. He glanced at the watch (which was his father’s. He had borrowed it only for today) on his wrist. “Okay, we have five minutues left. Let’s try to make that count, okay?”

“Sounds good.”

“Yeah, alright!”

“Sure, Dad.”

Besides a few more sarcastic comments, everything seemed to be going according to plan. All Nekomaru had to do now was wait patiently and try not to tear his hair out from the anxiety. That seemed like a simple enough task, but it was harder than it seemed. Every second seemed like an eternity passing overhead, a dark cloud at the back of his mind.

 _Oh, Daisuke,_ he thought desperately _, I promise your team will do amazing. If not, you can slap me when I meet you again._

He prayed again and again, hoping to any gods out there that might be able to help a group of 9 boys in a game that didn’t matter next to national championships or anything like that. For goodness’ sake, it was a middle school baseball game, but Nekomaru didn’t care. They had to win, no matter what. 

“Hey, Nidai.” He opened his eyes when a voice rose next to him. Leon stood with a forcefully confident look. There was a little sweat under his black hair. “Why are you so freaked out about? I mean, don’t try protesting or anything like that. It’s obvious you’re freaked.”

Nekomaru rubbed his eyes in frustration, mostly with himself. Was he really that emotionally open? Damn, Leon must have read him like a book. “It’s...I’m just a little nervous about the game, that’s all.”

“Obviously, bro. Daisuke’s not here. This is gonna be our first game without him.” Leon went dark for a few seconds, as if fully acknowledging how messed up the situation was. Then he blinked back to reality. “But that doesn’t mean me or anyone else is gonna suck today, alright?”

Nekomaru forced himself to stand up, where he stood several inches taller than Leon. “That confidence is great, Leon.” He couldn’t help but be a little jealous of how well the boy handled himself, as self-consumed as he was. “Don’t ever think I don’t believe in you guys.”

“Ah, with talk like that, you might actually do well at this sort of thing.” Leon laughed a bit, clapping him on the shoulder. “Well, c’mon! Game’s about to start, man!”

Feeling like he was on a string, Nekomaru was led back to the group. They quickly huddled into a circle as he arrived, instantly recognizing him as their...well, coach. It was the strangest feeling he had felt in a while, but that didn’t mean it was bad. “Alright, you guys, are you confident today?”

“Yeah!” was everyone’s answer, and Nekomaru instantly was flooded with relief. “That’s great, that’s great.I am...I’m so proud of each and every one of you. In such an awful situation, all of you guys still have that energy and confidence that I’m sure Daisuke was used to.”

At the mention of their former leader, a few faces fell, but Nekomaru continued, “After all he gave to us, I feel like we should dedicate this game to him, no matter what happens. We’ll do this for him.”

“I want to make him proud…” Daiju whispered, and then brought his fist against his palm. “We all need to make him proud!” Each responding voice agreed with him, and as the countdown reached 10, their hands reached the sky and uttered two words.

“For Daisuke!”

And then the game started. Nekomaru stood by the left side of the field, watching each player with increased perception. Everything was becoming blurrier the faster the game went on, and for the first time in a long time, Nekomaru’s heart started to hurt. Just a bit, it did, and he prayed and prayed for the godly powers around them not to take him now. _Any other time but now,_ he pleaded. _Please, please, please._

So far, HOME (their team) had won 4 points, and VISITOR had conjured 2. It was close, but it was still the beginning. But so far, every team member on the field was performing flawlessly, doing everything as they had been taught. Their forms were most impressive, energized seemingly by something supernatural, not earthly. 

The scores went up, the scores went down, and everything was chaos inside his mind. Of course, he was always there to cheer them or give a thumbs up if needed, but he couldn’t help feeling so antsy, so all over the place. Truth be told, it felt pretty gross. His heartbeat was heard easily even if he didn’t duck his head down there. He wondered if his parents even knew where he was, what he was doing. They probably didn’t. 

An hour dragged by slower than even the most boring days at the hospital. A few players were traded in, and no one was hurt. It seemed like nothing was really happening, like he lost track of time. He had stopped looking at the scoreboard, his head now between his hands. Why was it that he kept telling himself that he could do this? Was it false hope? Fake encouragement? 

A foul, a foul, and another foul. The game seemed to be stuck, and the score was almost perfectly tied. He knew that the intermission was coming soon, so maybe-

And then the music blared, signaling the break. He ran toward the boys with 9 bottles of water, which almost fell directly out of his arms in the process. A couple of the boys laughed a little before helping him. 

“The game seems to be at a crossroads…” Nekomaru pondered out loud. He tried to think, think, think about anything that might help them succeed. 

“Yeah, it’s really annoying…” Hachiro pulled down his cap with annoyance. “And we’re doing as much as we can!”

“I know you are-”

“Ugh, and the score is so close!” Isao cried.

So far, the game had been a simple match, but now they needed something special, some kind of ace in the hole. And just when he was more stuck than the game itself, Nekomaru’s eyes flickered with an idea.

“Ah, I know! Leon, why don’t you bat for us?”

Leon looked up from his place on the bench, his forehead damp. “Huh? I dunno about that…”

“You’re amazing at it. I know you’ll do great.” Nekomaru smiled at him, trying his hardest to appear comforting. 

Leon stared at him almost aimlessly, before he sighed and smiled as well. “Sure, okay.”

And as soon as the break was over and the boys had gone back to the field, Nekomaru went back to the bench and waited. The teams had not yet switched offense, so Leon had never gotten a chance to bat yet. He just hoped that the time was soon-

“I like you now.”

“GAH-” Once again, he almost jumped out of his skin at the sound of Kanon’s voice. “W-What does that mean?!”

“I dunno. I just like you now, I guess.” Kanon walked down the bleacher to sit next to him, proving just how tiny she was.

“You mean you didn’t like me before?”

She didn’t answer this, “You’re a good coach for Leon. I think that’s good.”

“Uh, thanks…!” He awkwardly chuckled, forcing his attention away from the child. He couldn’t be thinking about how strange she was right now. He needed to pay attention to whatever he could on the field!

And then the offense switched. He almost gasped with relief, earning him a weird stare from the equally weird Kanon. “You’re going crazy. Calm down.”

“S-Sorry, it’s just a big deal to me. Your cousin-he’s really good at batting. Don’t you remember?”

“He’s good at everything.”

Conversation with her wasn’t going anywhere, was it? With a sigh, Nekomaru pulled his attention back to the game yet again. Leon was in the batting position. His heart dropped as he studied every single movement he made, planting his feet into the soil. As if he knew, Leon turned his head and winked at him and Kanon, who made a sound of contentment.

“Oh, Leon…” Nekomaru didn’t want to even _think_ about how lovesick she sounded, so he awkwardly scooted a few inches away from her. She didn’t seem to notice. 

Just like that day in practice, Leon hit every single ball that was thrown his way. It certainly got Jiro, who was a baseman, to move to second base. Still, that wasn’t enough to win. 

The minutes went by quicker, and they eventually earned one point. It was 11 to 11, and the game would be ending shortly. A miracle had to happen, just like in an extremely cliche sports movie, where the underdog won at the end. Nekomaru always loved those movies, despite their flaws. 

He tried not to worry himself into a sweat puddle like any other time. After all, was it really about winning? Just like in those cliche-ridden sports movies, maybe it was the teamwork that helped them along the way...Wait a second. That was extremely corny, but Nekomaru couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment. Still, winning meant future successes, and he couldn’t let that opportunity be thrown aside for 9 fantastic kids. 

The sound of a bat hitting against something hard and fast broke him out of his faze, and his eyes shot forward towards the center field. Leon stood with the bat in his hands, looking astonished at himself for once. The stadium erupted into a thunderous roar, parents and students alike going crazy. And then the ball disappeared behind the stadium, earning Leon cheers upon cheers by almost everyone in the area. 

“HOME RUN!”

Nekomaru almost cried from how cliche that was, seeing the points being stacked up and minutes running out. His breath was caught in his throat. Reality seemed stuck around him. Kanon was jumping up and down on the bench, cheering as loud as she could.

“That’s my cousin! That’s Leon Kuwata!”

And after what seemed like nothing, the game was won. Nekomaru sat at a loss of himself. They had actually done it. It really was like a sports movie! Seeing the tea so happy, crowding around Leon and chattering with joy, Nekomaru took off and bench and bolted. He ran faster than he had ever ran before, almost tackling all of the boys before they noticed him.

“AGH, NIDAI!”

“What are y-”

“We won the game, Nekomaru!”

All of their voices-their sweet, energetic voices, almost made him cry again. He grabbed whoever was closest, and hugged them tight. “I’m just...I’m just so happy for all of you.” He let go of whoever that was, and sniffled something away.

Now they were all in a pile, staring at Nekomaru with somewhat fond expressions. Leon, the one that was briefly hugged, started to laugh. “C’mon, Nekomaru. You can do better than that!” With that, he rushed forward and hugged him back. 

He almost shot back from the unknown feeling, the feeling of being hugged by someone his age. “I-I...What about girls?”

“That doesn’t matter right now! Come on!” As Leon laughed some more, the others joined in, colliding with the two boys in the most unorthodox group hug any of them had participated in. Nekomaru couldn’t stop feeling so warm. Everywhere was warm, and it wasn’t just physical. It was a feeling of pure affection and acceptance, from everyone and everything. He closed his eyes and smiled tightly, hoping that feeling would never go away.

That feeling came from helping them. He was sure of it. Despite knowing that it would take a long time, Nekomaru was positive that things might finally be alright, that the world was finally turning around. Because now he finally wasn’t afraid. 

He wasn’t afraid of dying. That was what that feeling was, wasn’t it? The enjoyment of life without needless fear and the desire to shrink away and hide. And he wanted, for the first time, to be able to continue this, to help this small team, to hang out with them more. He was comfortable now, and everything seemed alright. As long as he had helped everyone become better, then what could he even be worried about?

If he were to die right now, then so be it. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. The Girl in the Hallway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One step into Hope's Peak Academy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys sorry I was gone for like idk...FOREVER? I had the absolute WORST case of writer's block, unlike anything I've ever had. Plus this chapter was just a pain to work with. Chapters that aren't filled with a lot of pain and angst are hard to write! IDK WHY AHHH IM SRY U GUYS...
> 
> But yES...Consider this a "transition chapter." It's a chapter filling in on the introductions of Class 77-B before we delve into the really good stuff.

  
One victory led to another. For a while, it seemed like he was on cloud-nine. It was completely not what he had expected, to be the leader of a frontrunner baseball team. The doubts that he had held before had now quieted into a mere whisper. Weeks passed, then months, and then another year. They travelled from Chiba to Fukushima to Tokyo. Each game was won as easily as it seemed in movies, and Nekomaru thought it was maybe pure luck that had pushed him so far.

It couldn’t have been luck. These were events too close together to be just coincidence. It had to be more than that. He wasn’t really sure what this was, but he knew that it was more than your average miracle.

And for a while, this happiness lasted longer than anyone had thought it was. For the first time, Nekomaru could count the amount of friends he had on two hands. After uneventful days at school, he’d walk over to the familiar yard just like it was before. Only this time, he was far more welcomed. 9 faces would turn and smile, and maybe even Kanon would grin at him.

He spent his mornings making rice balls and his nights writing schedules down furiously. To anyone else besides a freak like him, this sounded tedious and boring. But Nekomaru was Nekomaru. This desire to help the team had oddly enough, branched into a new interest.

There were still the monthly trips to the hospital, just like before. He would find himself talking more, though, asking nurses questions about their day or whatever was on his mind. Nekomaru wasn’t sure what was happening to him, but he wasn’t complaining.

For the time being, Nekomaru remembered that he was content. He had a solid group of friends built on trust and hard work, a stronger sense of self-worth, and a slightly sturdier body than before. The national championships were coming around next year, and he had to train the team in time for that. Compared to the fear he was so used to feeling, Nekomaru was rather excited, excited to see exactly what his team was capable of.

And then his parents were moving to Tokyo. 

The news of the move had stopped him right in his tracks. All of his plans, the championship, the team. It had all been tossed aside. He would be moving to a smaller apartment with his two busier than life parents. His father had a better offer for a job, and so he took it. Nekomaru was happy for his father, though he rarely saw his parents to begin with. But it was still painful that he had to leave.

The team were devastated when they found out, huddling close to Nekomaru and not letting go. He didn’t even attempt to hold in his own tears. After all, crying was not a weakness. Leon had stood dumbfounded, his eyes sunken in with bewilderment and pain. Kanon had sat beside him, glancing up slightly perturbed. 

The last few weeks were the hardest. It was the most difficult to try and maintain the team as best as he could, given the time running out. Nekomaru knew he wouldn’t even be capable of leading them anymore. And he had just found his place (sort of) as well...Damn. It was more than just frustrating. It was kind of his own personal disaster, watching everything he had worked through and built upon crumble around him.

He was now nearing the age of 14, and hiding from the inevitable wasn’t exactly going to help him. Emotions and puberty were screwy, but god, if he wasn’t going to try. So he got to work, writing down all of the advice he could muster, all of the tips and tricks someone like him could teach someone, and he locked it away in a notebook. It was the same notebook that he had used a year prior, and maybe since he could never use it again, it could help someone else. 

On the final day in his hometown, Nekomaru met with the team at the usual park. It was summer, and the sounds of cicadas were far too common. Despite the heavy atmosphere, Nekomaru didn’t let his mind travel far, just keeping close to the simplicity of a fun day out. After all, that team deserved that. The notebook was held tightly between his hands, but just wasn’t sure what to do with it. 

“Come on, bro-” The frustrated laugh of one of the boys woke him up. It was Junpei being attacked by Leon of all people. The two of them eventually began to roll around on the grass, almost ferally like animals. Nekomaru panicked and ran over.

“Hey, are you guys okay?! I, um…” Nekomaru stopped when the two boys glanced up at him, and Junpei smiled like nothing was wrong.

“Yeah, I guess. Leon was being a dumb idiot.”

Leon wriggled out of Junpei’s grasp with a constrained sigh. “...Buttface.”

“Y-You guys…! You shouldn’t be saying this sort of thing. Come on, now.” Nekomaru took out a small towel and began to wipe the dirt off of Junpei’s cheeks, tenderly like a mother. The boy didn’t try to squirm out of the way, since they were used to this by now.

“Sorry, Coach.” Junpei murmured, though it didn’t seem very sincere. Leon had already disappeared, and Nekomaru glanced around to find him to no avail. He supposed he would go look for him as soon as he figured out what transpired. 

“It’s okay, but uh, what happened?”

“What happened?” It was like the kid completely forgot. 

“You know, the fight...What happened between you guys, if I may ask?” 

“Oh, yeah. Ha, Leon’s just been super moody these days. He just snapped at me for no reason! And I was just joking around, too…” Junpei hummed thoughtfully, eyes a little distant. “I dunno, I think he’s gonna miss you a lot.”

“What?”

“Yeah, I think that’s why he’s so mean these days...It makes a ton of sense, too.” 

“I see. Thank you, Junpei.” He didn’t mean for his answer to come out so clipped and hurried as he shuffled away, but he needed to find Leon. He needed to talk him down, no matter how bleak the situation was. Still, the thought of someone missing him was oddly comforting. He didn’t want to sound self absorbed, but back then, no one would have missed him except his parents and maybe a small handful of adults. 

He walked back to the bench he had previously been sitting on, and realized something. His notebook was gone, vanished completely from his hands. He checked his pockets, and then the bench again, but he found no evidence. Nekomaru started to panic. This couldn’t be real. He had spent...what? Like 52 hours directly writing in that stupid thing for this?!

And then he saw Kanon carefully flipping through its pages, sitting close to the tree. Nekomaru sighed with heavy relief and dashed over.

“Kanon!” When she lifted her head, he realized that he was (pathetically enough) intimidated by this child. “I uh, you have...my notebook. Why?”

“I dunno. I was bored and I wanted to read it.” 

“Oh…”

“I didn’t know you had to write down all the stuff they had to do.”

“Well, yes...I needed to if I wanted to help them.”

“Hm. I like that.” Kanon, for once, smiled sweetly at him. “I wanna read this more. Maybe I can learn something!”

“That’s um, fine.” He really wasn’t sure why he brought it in the first place, so it couldn’t hurt. As long as it wasn’t lost. “But I need to find your cousin. Have you seen him!?”

“Leon!?” Kanon shot up, “Did he run away?!”

“N-No, he didn’t run away...Um, well...I don’t know where he went exactly.”

“Then we gotta go find him! Why are you just standing there like a dumbass?!”

Nekomaru almost fell down, “E-Excuse me?!” Wasn’t she like 10?!

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon! Hurry up, man!” With the energy of ten chipmunks high off of pixie sticks, Kanon shoved him around across the park. She was a force to be reckoned with, something truly terrifying if her precious cousin was ever in danger. 

It was relatively easy to find him, since the park wasn’t busy that day and there was no way Leon would just abandon everyone. He was found on an empty swing, lazily kicking himself back and forth. His eyes were on the ground, concentrated.

“LEON!!” Kanon had rushed forward so fast that Leon hadn’t noticed what hit him, slamming him down into the ground. Seeing this disaster, Nekomaru cried out and rushed forward.

“Leon, Leon, Leon!” Kanon lightly punched his chest a million times. “Why would you leave like that!? I was super worried!” 

“Wha-What the heck, Kanon?!” Leon groaned in pain, lifting his head from the dirt to see the two of them staring down at him. “What do you want?”

“Well, I just wanted to find you and see if you were alright-” Nekomaru tried to say, but was interrupted by the little one.

“You better not run away again! I’m gonna be super mad if you do…”

“Ha, I didn’t go far, you dork. It’s just that I was a little mad, but I’m cool now!” Leon faked a small laugh to cease his obsessive cousin’s pouting. She seemed to fall for it, nuzzling into his chest.

Nekomaru tried his hardest not to grimace from how weird that was, so he looked away. “I know that you two got into a fight. Are you okay?”

“I guess!? He just...I dunno, he really pissed me off, man!” Leon threw up his hands as he stood up, throwing Kanon off her balance. “Ugh, he’s so annoying, Nekomaru. You don’t get it.”

“Well, um…What did he say?” 

Leon huffed out in frustration, “He just...He likes to make fun of me. I dunno, maybe he’s jealous over how cool I am or something…”

Nekomaru didn’t know how to respond to such arrogance. But that could be a possibility. Leon was by far the most inclined at the sport out of all the boys, but that didn’t mean their own talents weren’t there. A team was composed of a lot of elements, and if every single boy was like Leon, it would be a mistake on so many levels. Nekomaru almost wanted to say that, but his confidence just wasn’t high enough yet. 

Kanon smiled cheerily, “Yeah, Junpei’s a talentless hack! He’s got nothing on you, Leon!” To that, Leon smirked, and Nekomaru screamed.

“T-That’s not true, Kanon! Be quiet!” It was probably the first time he had rendered the girl speechless, and the first time his anger had risen above the lack of confidence he had. Leon had his jaw dropped along with his cousin, their disbelief very much real.

“Woah, dude…” Leon murmured, almost in awe. Beside him, Kanon was almost too quiet. Nekomaru immediately felt ashamed of himself, and his cheeks turned red. 

“I-I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!” was all he said as he speed-walked away, hands at his side. How could he do that?! He hadn’t even gotten angry in what seemed like years, so why now? Was it everything culminating and crashing upon him? Was he falling apart at the edges, just like how he was around two years ago? More than anything, he could never allow himself to go back to that place.

“Hey, wait a sec-” Ignoring his dazed cousin, Leon caught up to the other boy, “It’s chill, man. You don’t hafta flip out about it.”

Maybe everything really was falling apart around him, or was he just overreacting? “No, I shouldn’t have yelled at her. I apologize.”

Leon had glanced back at the girl and smiled. She was still dazed and confused that someone had gotten the better of her. “Eh, she’ll be fine. Someone had to put her in her place anyways.”

“But…”

“Nah, man. I get it. You must be like me right now...All stressed and shit? I-I mean ‘and crap.’” Leon heaved a sigh, “I mean, ugh...That’s why I started beating the crap out of Junpei. He was calling me a baby...because I was uh, crying?”

“You were crying?”

“Don’t make such a big deal about it-” Leon paused, “Wait, you’re not making a big deal out of it…So you don’t care?”

Nekomaru timidly shook his head. If crying was this abnormal for kids Leon’s age, then he had to worry about a lot more than just that. Living in urban Japan also meant that you lived in a society that forced a fake sense of masculinity in your face, one that carried more of anger than of compassion and strength. That was what he always thought, anyways. 

“That’s good, that’s good. You seem like the type that cries a lot anyway...No offense.”

Nekomaru smiled, “None taken, and you’re right.”

Leon soon began to babble, “It’s not a bad thing! I don’t want you to think that I THINK that you’re a baby. I mean, you’ve done so much for us that saying something like that would be super, super mean. And uh-” Leon soon sucked in his cheeks in deep thought, his cheeks burning red and his eyes staring the other way.

“Leon, I’m going to miss you, too.” 

And that was all it took for Leon Kuwata, the tiny batter with an ego the size of Mars, to crash forward into Nekomaru’s chest in a very awkward yet comforting hug. Nekomaru froze, still not used to that foreign feeling of being hugged, and not the other way around. His heart was beating fast, and he tried not to worry.

“...Leon-”

“I’m never gonna forget you, man! So please don’t forget about us, okay?!” The strangest thing about this moment was that Leon’s usual brash tone was quiet and muffled, obviously embarrassed. But it was the fact that Leon had done something he had never been comfortable doing, all to express admiration. Nekomaru couldn’t help but smile at that, and he hugged back tightly.

“I won’t. I promise that I won’t.”

  
**…**

That was the last time he had seen the team. As much as he knew he would miss them, Nekomaru knew that this was just a bitter reminder that life was unpredictable. People won the lottery every day, and people lost all their savings every day. People were born and people would die. He had seen enough death to know this fact. 

But he knew that in order for himself to keep living, he had to do what he had done before. Through just in that time period of coaching that small team of middle school boys, the amount of confidence that had grown was unbelievable. It had of course, started out around 0.75%, and moved up to at least 5%! That was a brand new record, and he had to keep chasing that high. 

It was a great thing about the morality of humankind. If you were exceptionally kind to another person, without taking anything for yourself, miracles would start to slowly appear. They were small miracles, like getting out of bed early, or not hating how you looked in the mirror. It started out slow, but it was a great thing to have. 

And so he didn’t want to hold onto that gloom that haunted him so prevalently, the feeling that he was so used to, the one of his childhood. Once he had moved to Tokyo, a shining jewel of a city, that was when he had decided for himself that he would truly turn around. Starting now, a new Nekomaru Nidai would appear. He could imagine Daisuke’s admiration for him growing with every step he took into that new life. 

Honestly, he had pondered the feelings that rose when he thought of Daisuke, and the feelings that occured when he was alive. It was a long time ago now, but now that Nekomaru was older, he recognized what he had felt for the other boy. It was a little confusing, but he didn’t allow himself to be ashamed. 

The years went by pretty quickly, but he always remembered the faces, the sounds, the smells. He remembered the figure skater he had met at a park one day, or the tennis player that was pretty much downtrodden. There were more as well, more talented people that deserved the recognition they got, cheering and beaming wide with gold medals. Every time they would win, he’d stand at the sidelines and smile, knowing that he had served them well. It was a complete feeling, a happy feeling, and one that had gotten him recognition. 

He hadn’t even realized he was being discussed, or that so many people knew about him. (In the sports communities, anyway) He hadn’t wanted that at all, honestly. In fact, it was a little uncomfortable being wanted by multiple athletes at a time. He was a little flattered, but this was more than what he had expected.Still, the athletes he picked were always the ones with the greatest potential to shine. People without commitment or people that just wanted victories beyond anything else were jokes. 

But despite his reluctance, a letter had appeared in his mailbox one day:

_Dear Nekomaru Nidai,_

_We have noticed your work from a distance. As a talent scout of Hope’s Peak Academy, my job is to collect suitable students to attend the school. There is yet to be an “Ultimate Team Manager” here at the school, and we are offering for you to join our family, and to earn a free scholarship just for attending._

_If you are indeed interested, please visit our staff here at our address. We welcome you into an exhilarating school life full of hope and excitement. We’re waiting for your arrival._

_Sincerely, Koichi Kizakura_

Ultimate...Team Manager? Scholarship? Hope’s Peak Academy? 

There had to have been 20 questions floating through his head, but the deal was indeed sweet. It almost seemed too good to be true. With that kind of scholarship money, it would be possible to pay off the hospital debt he had wracked upon his parents, people that didn’t deserve the life he had involuntarily put them through. 

From what he had heard, Hope’s Peak Academy was the best of the best, an elite school that studied talents of all kinds. Only the most gifted in their areas could join. To think that he was the most gifted coach in Japan? They had to be joking, right? He wasn’t even doing this for recognition, so how did this “Kizakura guy” even find him!?

Well, he supposed that answer could be found later. Because now, after years of coaching multiple talented people, he had arrived at the gates of Hope’s Peak, a duffle bag held tightly in his hands. It was a beautiful April morning, and the air seemed crisp. Still, he couldn’t seem to calm his nerves much. It was a funny sight for such a big man, or...boy. 

He was 17 now, though he didn’t look it at all. Honestly, Nekomaru wasn’t sure what happened exactly. Through those 4 long years, he hadn’t paid barely any attention to himself, only concerned about his athletes that he had trained so fiercely. He supposed since he was involved with that intense training, he had gotten...well, stronger. 

People would often ask if he was a cosplayer, and that wasn’t true at all. He barely knew anything about anime or movies as it was. Just because he wore a giant gakuran, a chain whistle and had spiky hair (and lightning around his freaking eyes) didn’t mean that he was dressing up as some anime warrior guy! It was ridiculous, but he supposed it was natural for people to stare, especially when he looked so unusual. Maybe that was how he was spotted so easily…?

He didn’t want to think about it for long, as a bell broke him out of his deep thinking. Several students moved from the main courtyard to the inside of the building, and several more stepped out of the way of this “giant” barreling through the main doors, too concentrated to notice that he was kind of intimidating. Scratch that, he was very intimidating. 

A piece of paper was held firmly in his hands. It read Class _77b. 77b...77b,_ he thought, gazing around the halls and just how majestic everything looked. He still couldn’t believe how lucky he was to even go to this place, but his thoughts were again, cut short. A raspy voice had gotten his attention.

“Hey-”

“Uh, HELLO!” 

The boy was almost knocked off of his feet thanks to his boisterous shouting, (yes, that was now something he did as well) but still kept a smile upon his face. “Hey there. You were muttering ‘77b’ over and over. Is that your class?”

There was something off about this boy. His hair was milk white, swirling around his head like a cloud. His eyes were complacent, and his skin sickly pale. He was dressed the most casually of anyone he had seen in the halls by far. Still, the boy seemed kind enough.

“Yes, that is my class! Is it yours as well?!” Nekomaru asked.

  
“Yeah, it is. I was having some trouble finding it, so maybe we can find it together.” The thin boy removed his hand from his jacket’s pocket and waved at him.”My name is Nagito Komaeda, by the way...Sorry if you didn’t want to know.”

“Of course I would want to know! You’re my classmate!” At that, Nagito smiled again. “My name is Nekomaru Nidai!”

“Oh, our first names both start with ‘N.’ That’s really neat.”

“So it is!”

He had learned a few things about Nagito Komaeda as they searched around. First of all, Nagito had gotten into the school via a lottery, earning him a place as the Ultimate Lucky Student. The boy was super casual and imposed, his polite and quiet voice so much more smoother than his own. Second of all, Nagito was a huge fanboy of Hope’s Peak, just like many others. He seemed to admire and praise talent more than anyone else he knew, even himself, 

“And that’s why it is so amazing to go here along with so many talented people. To get a chance like this is such a blessing and a curse at the same time…” Nagito trailed off, “I apologize in advance for how undeserving I am to speak so casually with someone like you-”

“Wait, huh?! Are you asking me to forgive you for just talking to me?”

“No, not forgiveness.” Nagito laughed sweetly, “Someone as average as myself can only do so much in comparison to an Ultimate like you, so asking for your forgiveness is just selfish of me."

Nekomaru just grunted in annoyance, “That’s a load of bullshit. We’re both human, so comparing the two of us in that way doesn't even make sense.”

Nagito looked away for a moment, quietly considering something. Was it really that rare for someone to be kind to this kid? “That’s such an ‘Ultimate thing’ to say. Man, you really are great.”

Nekomaru was at a loss for words. Nagito really did seem like a nice guy, but man, was he odd. Then again, Nekomaru counted himself as odd, too. He was loud and intense and in your face. Not to mention he was totally obsessed with hygiene and health. To think about how he had transformed from a sickly insecure child to what he was now, was a head scratcher. 

So he just grumbled something and kept leading Nagito forward, not unlike a dad guiding his small child through a busy crowd. They had reached another floor with the other boy humming in contentment along the way. He was fairly placid, a calm smile on his pale face. It was a slightly awkward, yet normal stroll through the building, until-

“AH! HERE IT IS! 77-B!” His intense excitement had nearly ruptured the building, at least in Nagito’s place, who almost fell to the floor in surprise. He got up from his stumble, and laughed softly at the other’s eccentricity. 

“I’m so happy,” Nagito cheered, “Amazing work, Nidai.” he did a small bow before heading into the classroom. It appeared to be almost full, with a few empty seats. The doorway itself was way too short for him to walk through normally, so he crouched and managed to get through. 

Once he had managed to get inside, a few gasps shook him from his own bewilderment. A very small girl in a kimono had her mouth open in horror. He thought this was amusing. A red-haired girl in the desk beside her raised an eyebrow at him, and the woman in front (who he presumed to be their homeroom teacher) saluted at him as he came through the door.

Sometimes the shy kid from the hospital would come back, though that showing through his appearance now would just be ridiculous. Clearing his throat, he bowed quickly to the woman in front.

“Heya! You guys must be my kids, right?” She was a woman with average height and cheerful eyes. A long orange ponytail had snaked down her backside. She wore a maid’s outfit of some kind. She seemed pretty young to be a teacher, but he supposed he wouldn’t mind. 

Nekomaru ignored her question (purely on accident) and speed-talked his greeting,“Hello! It is nice to meet you. My name is Nekomaru Nidai, dubbed The Ultimate Team Manager!” He figured that listing his title would be a good thing to do, and Nagito did the very same.

“I’m Nagito Komeada, the Ultimate Lucky Student. It is nice to meet you, Ms.” His smile was pretty inviting. In fact, maybe Nekomaru ought to take some speaking lessons from this guy. Spending years and years in an athletic environment had pretty much destroyed his subtlety. 

“There’s no need to be so formal, you guys. But yes, it’s nice to meet you, too.” The woman did a strange move, probably trying to remain energetic. “I am Chisa Yukizome, your homeroom teacher. I’m sure we’re going to have a great year!” He saw a boy in the back rolling his eyes. He was formally dressed, but still looked like a punk. 

“I saw that, Kuzuryu! So just you wait!” Chisa snapped.

“Whatever…” Kuzuryu muttered. A taller girl looked back at him from her place one desk ahead. Her eyes were sharp and pointed. Nekomaru could hear her speaking to him, but he decided it wasn’t wise to pry. 

Chisa turned to the two of them. “So you two should find your seats, and as soon as all the kids are here, we’ll get started, okay?”

He did just that. And it was rather boring. Many gave him odd looks of confusion as he walked awkwardly to a desk in the back. Since he was over six foot, it was probably wise to sit in the back, right? He didn’t look too rebellious, did he?

Over a small amount of waiting period, he had pretty much memorized the rest of his classmate’s names. (At least, these were the ones already inside the room) There was of course Nagito, and the girl who had stared at him hard when he was walked in was named Hiyoko. She was a dancer. There was also Mahiru, the red-head with the quizzical looks, and Fuyuhiko was the formal fellow who rolled his eyes.The girl in front of him was named Peko. She was very quiet. Other than that, there was a very timid girl in the corner named Mikan, a chubby boy named Ryota, a princess named Sonia, an edgy-appearing kid named Kazuichi, and a strange boy muttering to himself a few seats away from him. His name was Gundham, and he apparently talked to his hamsters. 

After he had memorized those names, two more came in the door. It was a very energetic girl with the most wild sense of style he had ever seen. Her name was Ibuki, and she absolutely wouldn’t shut up about how tall he was. He had laughed it off with her, who made a “meowing” sound and flopped into her seat like she was forced into it. The other kid was a short and flirtatious chef, who winked at the class when he walked in. Nekomaru had felt that wink go down his spine, and shrivel up in his soul. It was not enjoyable.

And that was it for the most part. There were two more empty seats, and their teacher had visibly started to become agitated. “Ugh, did they not get the memo? Should I just start without them? Agh! You guys, what should I do?!”

  
“Do not question me, mortal.” Gundham hid his face behind his hand mysteriously, not unlike a comic book villain. Nekomaru decided that he rather liked Gundham. 

With a sigh, Chisa pushed herself off her desk and stood in front as proudly as she could. She began to talk about a plethora of subjects, mostly about the class in general, and what kind of activities they would get into. A few of the kids seemed pretty excited, including himself-though he was rather noticeable in the back.

Apparently Hope’s Peak wasn’t an entirely academic school, but more so interested with the building of talent. So homework and other things like that weren’ even expected. It had to be the strangest school experience he had ever had, and this was only day one. 

Chisa talked on and on for such a while, that she didn’t even seem to notice when a small girl shuffled in through the doorway. She cocked her head at the class, slowly scanning everything over. Her jacket puffed out her figure, and she looked extremely tired, or maybe bored. When Chisa finally did notice, she shot up from her desk at once with a surprised shout. 

“You must be Nanami! You’re very late, you know.” Chisa bounded over to the girl, who’s reaction seemed about twenty seconds late.

“I am?” a few of the kids laughed at this.

“Hush!” Chisa snapped at the kids who laughed, and then turned toward Nanami again. “It’s okay, I know it’s the first day, and you must be a little lost.”

The girl didn’t respond, only gazing up at Chisa with the blankest stare Nekomaru had ever seen. Chisa patted her head and turned her toward the class, whispering to her. “Do you want to introduce yourself to the class?”

“Oh.” The girl remained uninterested, but her shoulders slumped and she looked away. “My name is Chiaki Nanami…” With a small sigh, she then grabbed her backpack tightly around her back and walked to one of the empty seats. Then she looked down at her desk, pretending to be interested in the details of the wood. 

The rest of the school day happened rather quickly. It was rather uneventful besides a few “Get to Know Me” games and whatnot. He had talked to a few of the students, mostly the boy Kazuichi Soda, who was pretty easygoing, despite his new obsession with Sonia. It was only the first day. Man, teenage romance was kind of tiring, if he could even call it that.

Despite every member of class 77-B talking with one another at some point, the tiny gamer girl hadn’t said a word. She had kept her head low and played on a small device, despite their teacher diving in to check on her all of the time. He had even been called “gross” and “too loud” by a few of the students, Hiyoko and Mahiru respectively. He supposed it was rather uncouth for him to talk about his...well, bathroom experiences, but they were so fascinating and entertaining! It was perfect for conversation, right?

Nekomaru supposed that he was rather crude. It probably had happened over the span of four years. Hanging around protein chugging athletes was most likely the cause. He had simply gone from one extreme to the other. It was rather hard to meet in the middle…

And that was it, really. He was excited for this new opportunity, but a lot of things just didn’t sit right. The obvious was how all of them were so different, and that some of the students’ interest in the class or their teacher seemed very limited. Now as he was heading to his dorm room with the large bag still held in his hands, he promised to himself that he would try his hardest to help the class unite-

And then he saw someone standing near a few of the dorm rooms, finger on her lips, as if she was in deep thought. She was a student presumably, based on her entirely simple getup: a white polo and a red skirt, which seemed to be torn somewhat a kinda dirty. Her skin was dark and her hair was extremely messy, as if she hadn’t combed it in her life. The girl’s body was well-defined and muscular. She looked taller than most girls, and stronger too. She had concentrated, strong eyes, ones that he had only seen on a few people. 

Curiously, he stepped in beside her. “Excuse me-“

“Huh?” The girl turned around, her expression of confusion turning to awe. “Wow, you’re huge! I’ve never seen a guy as big as you!”

Nekomaru was almost speechless, and he managed a small laugh, “Ha! I sure hope that’s a good thing!”

“Yeah, it is! Most dudes I know are super weak. Not anything compared to your crazy body.” She seemed to be studying him almost. The girl was kind of intimidating, but she had a genuine charm to the way she talked.

“Okay, well now you’re just overdoing it.” He shook his head, “And what was up with you standing around the rooms, anyhow?”

“Oh, uh, I’m looking for my class.”

“...In the dormitories?”

“The what-now? I’m just looking for my classroom, man!” The girl scratched her ear like an impatient child.

“That’s not…” Nekomaru shook his head. “Class ended an hour ago, and the classrooms are about one floor higher than here.”

“Really? Damn, I must have missed it, huh?”

“Erm, yes...”

“Oh well. There’s always tomorrow.” The laid back and lazy nature of this girl was almost annoying. He couldn’t take people that were lazy.

“That’s no excuse! You were completely absent on the first day-“ he stopped his talking, “Wait. Were you looking for class 77-B?”

“Uh...I dunno. All I know is that when I got here like, a few minutes ago-”

“YOU ONLY JUST GOT HERE?!”

“Yeah! Isn’t that when school starts?!”

“NO??”

“It’s not?”

“NO! SCHOOL STARTS AT 8:35!”

The girl didn’t seem deterred in the slightest, her eager smile only exacerbated by Nekomaru’s general loudness. “Damn, your power level is out of this world. I’ve gotta fight you or something…”

“Fight me?” Nekomaru brought a hand up to his face with exhaustion. “I’ve got no time for this. But I do know that you belong in my class.”

“Well, thanks for telling me.” The girl’s big eyes began to examine him even more. He felt slightly uncomfortable. “You’ve gotta be some sorta wrestler, don’tcha?”

“No, team manager.”

“Huh?”

“Y’know, like a coach. I help teams succeed and whatnot!” He moved to his own dorm room and opened it, looking back once more at the girl behind him. She was sort of dumbfounded, but nodded in understanding.

“Ah, so you’re like that dude that forced me into workin’ all the time.”

“Dude...that forced you into working?” This didn’t sound good. Immediately, his attention was pulled back to the girl. 

“Yeah, but it brings in extra cash, so I’m fine with it.”

Cash?! Forced work?! The darkest realization was left in his mind, and he crashed forward in a panic. “WHAT?! N-NO, YOU NEED TO LEAVE THAT ENVIRONMENT A.S.A.P!” Were people mistreating this girl? Owning her in some way? It made him sick. Somehow, he _needed_ to help her. 

The girl just shook her head, “Nah, I’m good. I mean, all I gotta do is do some flips and do the bar exercises... It’s really easy.”

Suddenly, he felt foolish. His cheeks grew hot, and he slapped a palm to his face. “Oh, you’re a gymnast.” He should have known from the girl’s athletic form. How stupid of him. 

“What did you think I was talking about?!” She wryly smiled, “Man, you’re super intense!”

She was right. He _was_ super intense, especially in jumping the gun and assuming horrible things had happened to people. Still, he didn’t let his guard down. There was something about this girl that rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was the way her skin appeared bruised on her upper arms, and the other bruises and cuts that littered near her feet. It was almost as if she had been stepping on broken glass or something. There was also her tattered clothes, her unbrushed hair, and the smell of waterlogged wood and urban flare. 

He wasn’t sure how to react to this girl, especially when she made a slightly pained expression along with the gurgle from her stomach, and winced. He made a face of concern, to which she brushed him off. “Don’t worry. I’m just hungry. As soon as I get some food, I’ll be good to go.”

But she didn’t look hungry. She looked starving. She looked like she hadn’t eaten in at least a day or two. Her eyes were also sunken in, as if she had missed a lot of sleep. Just why was she so dismissive of her stomach pains? Nekomaru would not have it. 

“Hold on one moment!” He waved one finger at the girl, signaling her to stay put, and rushed into his dorm room. He still hadn't even unpacked or done really anything to make it look nice, but that didn't really matter now. He had always managed to keep protein bars and such lying around, and that’s what he found. It wasn’t much, but the girl’s eyes lit up so brightly at the sight, her shock unwavering.

“Is that for me?! That food-is it really for me?”

She seemed unsure, like she almost didn’t believe it. Compared to the confidence he had heard earlier, this voice was almost like a shocked child’s. He cleared his throat, and handed her the four protein bars. “Of course it is! Enjoy it!” He put on his most ‘bravo’ smile, ensuring her that she was okay.

Her expression changed into a bright grin, “Wow! Thanks! They’re gonna love it!” She took the bars with extra care, and then she shoved them right in between her breasts-

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

“I’m storing my food! What do you think I’m doing?!” The girl seemed to believe that this was a totally normal thing for a human to do. Nekomaru just avoided his eyes and looked away. Those poor bars were probably destroyed by now. 

“Uh, well…” he started, “I’m just glad I could give them to you.”

This sentence almost made the girl’s eyes flicker differently. Her position changed, and she wasn’t smiling anymore. Instead, she was sort of glaring. Not in a mean way, but as if she were trying to figure out his goal, his end game, something like that. 

So he seeked to distract that scary expression, placing a hand on his chest with as much dignity as he could muster. “My name’s Nekomaru Nidai! Since we’re going to be classmates from now on, I thought it would be helpful to know!”

“Oh, okay. That’s cool.” she grinned, and didn’t say anything else. How uncouth. He stared at her with expectancy for a long time, but she just stared back with obliviousness. “Huh? Do you want something?”

“Your name! You didn’t say your name!”

“I didn’t? Oh, whoops.” She straightened out her shoulders with a light pop. “Akane Owari.”

Akane Owari...He had heard that name before. Since he was in the sports business for a good portion of his life so far, he was sure that her name must have come up. “It’s nice to meet you, Akane Owari!”

“Yeah! Alright, uh...I better get back home.” She awkwardly said.

“You don’t have a dorm here?”

“Huh? A dorm?” Akane asked, and then shook her head. “I’ve really gotta go, but thanks for the food, dude!”

With that, she ran down the hallway, her steps harsh yet efficient, and then she disappeared. Nekomaru stood by his dorm room’s door and stared until she did, unable to clearly piece together what he had just experienced. But he did know one thing: there was never going to be a dull moment with her around.


	4. Unconventional Business

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chaos invades class 77b, Chiaki is a shut away, and Akane is actually insane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit guess what!!! I’m ALIVEEEE and oh my goshhhh I am sorry about the like 3 month late update. Not to make excuses but I’ve had the busiest few months ever. I’ve been to place to place, packing up to move to Arizona...It kinda came out of nowhere. Not to mention that I graduated high school just last month so yeah a lot of stuff happened.
> 
> I’m also a little unmotivated at the moment. No clue why...however your comments rose me from the dead and I decided to finish this chapter! It was a slog to get though honestly lmao. I’m gonna say more at the end but for now try to enjoy the newest chapter of my “Nekomaru is actually really good” propaganda novel!!!1

“Class representative?” 

A small sheet of paper was awkwardly taped to the wall of the classroom. It had a few lines of words that many kids would probably gloss over and never read again. Most of the students of 77-B didn’t even notice it. Well, most of them except Mahiru Koizumi, the assertive photographer. Her eyes were squinted as she mumbled to herself, finger to her bottom lip in concentration. 

In the past few weeks to a solid month and a half, the class had gotten...closer, if you could even call it that. Nekomaru would better describe it as the class wanting to kill each other violently. Each member was so horrifyingly different, so stark in comparison to each other. It was insane how little everyone fit, but he digressed. It was only the first month. A lot of things could happen in the first month, not all bad.

And then something huge and flying swooped into the classroom, almost colliding with the window. At once, everyone erupted into a frenzy. Gundham was standing at the entrance of the class, shouting vigorously, Kazuichi was probably dead on the floor from shock, and Sonia was clapping her hands with excitement. But Chiaki was just playing her game, sitting in the middle of the room like it was a normal day. It was a madhouse.

“Wha-What the hell is that?!” Someone screamed, though he wasn’t quite sure who it was. Ibuki ran around the room like a headless chicken, rendering her vocal cords useless. Nekomaru laughed, soon finding his own awfully loud voice amongst the chaos. 

“IT’S A HAWK!”

“A hawk?!”

“YEAH!”

Chisa Yukizome had been gone from the classroom for approximately five minutes. 

The hawk’s scrambled screeches were akin to nails on a chalkboard, but if it wasn’t the funniest thing he had seen all day.

“Someone grab that thing!” Teruteru Hanamura, the little chef who could only be properly described as a human gingerbread man trying his hardest to be sexy, had somehow gotten a hold of a broom of all things. He ran toward the bird, whacking at the air.

Gundham apparently hated this, and karate-chopped the stick with his one bandaged hand. “Enough of this! Sit down, you meaningless curd!”

Hiyoko was hiding underneath the table, eyes glowering, “Your pet is going to poop on everything, you creepo!”

“Ha, what a petty excuse to be afraid of such a beast.” Gundham smirked, holding out his arm, and the bird landed peacefully at once, suddenly quiet and stopping its horrendous screaming. “As for I, slayer of the 9th level of Hell-”

“Oh, shut the fuck up! Get it out of the classroom, you maniac!” Kazuichi moaned through his squished face. Gundham didn’t say much else, only letting out a “hmph” in response.

“Don’t be scared, Souda. It’s only a beautiful bird.” Nagito smiled without one hint of meanspritedness. 

“I am NOT scared, come on.”

“I think it’s wonderful! My home country does not host this type of bird! “ Sonia said with a cheerful smile. Her eyes were sparkling almost. It was cute.

Hiyoko stuck out her tongue like a petulant child, “That’s why you don’t have any friends, Sonia!” At this, Sonia looked more hurt than she had ever looked before.

“Hiyoko…” Mahiru poked her head out from the closet she was hiding in, and Hiyoko suddenly dropped her head to the floor. Whatever had happened between the two to become so close, Nekomaru didn’t know. All he knew was that she was the only person that the dancer actually respected, and that everyone else (including himself) were fair game to her insults.

“Mahiru…” the girl whined, lazily slipping out from underneath her desk, and shoving Ryota, who was cowering like most of them, away as she ran to Mahiru’s loving hold. “I’m sorry, Mahiru! Please forgive me! I was just so scared!”

“It’s okay, just apologize to Sonia after this.” Mahiru was clearly embarrassed by all the extra eyes on them. She averted her gaze.

“Yay! You like me again!” Hiyoko squeezed Mahiru with a firm hug. The entire class stayed silent for at least another minute, happy to enjoy a moment without shrieking.

“Okay, so can you take it out now? The bird? It’s making me have lots of HUGE feelings of fear and stuff…” Ibuki twiddled with her thumbs.

“It’s not a bird...Heh, how dense of you to say that. How very dense indeed.” Gundham turned his head to mutter a bunch of judgemental words, mostly consisting of the term, “Brainwashed humans.”

“Then what the hell is it then?” Fuyuhiko, who barely talked as it was, rolled his eyes. The girl who was behind him had not spoken for the entire day.

Gundham scoffed, “As if I would reveal that. Only the ones with the highest level-“

“ENOUGH! THE HAWK GOES HOME NOW!” For once, Nekomaru stood up quickly and bang his fist on the desk, shocking everyone still. Well, they weren’t shocked by his general loudness. That was acquired info from day one. 

Gundham’s eye twitched, and he crossed his arms. There seemed to be a lot of small things moving underneath his scarf, and no one wanted to ask what that was. “I have had enough of your meaningless drabble, your spewing of incoherent words. If you wish, come and fight me at your own volition!”

Nekomaru stood dumbfounded. He had handled a lot of difficult people in his line of work, but this was just bizarre. “You wanna fight? Ha, very well!” 

Across the room, someone held their hands to their ears. Remorse filled him, but he couldn’t just back down now. This was a showdown! Like in those cool movies! Inwardly, he couldn’t help but be a little hyped. Gundham didn’t say anything, only holding his hand stretched outward, almost beckoning Nekomaru to come and strike him.

“Someone call the psych ward!” Someone giggled. It must have been Hiyoko. 

“Look, is this really necessary?” Another said.

A hand even whacked at his shoulder, appearing to be Mahiru’s, “Hey, have you got a brain in there? Don’t fight in the classroom! God!”

“Yeah, man. Not now.”

“He’s totally the fighter type though...Look at those biceps!”

“Oh, come on. That’s a freaking stereotype.”

The voices that emerged around them didn’t stop the intense and barely broken eye contact he shared with Gundham. He slowly walked forward, only to let Gundham off his own guard. At once, he charged forward, letting out what others would describe as a battle cry straight from hell. 

“AgHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Absolutely everyone went insane. 

The room flew into a frenzy except for Chiaki. She was still playing her game. Nekomaru rushed and rushed toward Gundham, who had also started a sprint across the room. It seemed to go on forever, the hawk diving straight toward his eyes. And then-

He caught Gundham not unlike how an umpire would catch a ball, the boy secured tightly between his arms. The hawk was also snatched from the air (albeit more gentle as he did so) and set upon his shoulder as if it were a parakeet.

The classroom gasped, staring at the scene with half horror/half astonishment. But nothing was destroyed. Nothing was destroyed at all! It took Gundham about a minute to realize he was being carried around limply like a dog toy. 

“UNHAND ME! UNHAND ME! I will send the fires of hell to you-”

“Oh, be quiet!” Nekomaru bopped him on the head, and turned to face the others. Gundham was hanging from the corner of his arm lifelessly. He had simply given up. The only thing resembling Gundham’s lively spirit was the hawk now trying to eat Nekomaru’s hair. “Hi, guys!”

“What the fuck, dude.” Kazuichi murmured, voice not matching his bulging eyes.His voice was wavered and extremely tired. Nekomaru agreed internally. He _did_ have that kind of effect on people sometimes.

But Nekomaru would not even be able to put a single word in, as Chisa Yukizome had stepped in through the door, her tone chipper as always. “Hey, hey, all you crazy kids-” Her voice faded into the shared expressions of most of the kids. “Nidai, why are you holding Tanaka?”

“OH, uh-” He’d been so distracted that he had merely forgotten, “There was a hawk that threatened to destroy the peace of the classroom. I took care of it!”

“A what-now and a who-what now?” As soon as she saw the peculiar bird, Chisa rubbed her eyes, but soon spruced up to her normal self. It was kind of scary, like a light switch had been flipped in her head. “Y’know what! Forget it! Let’s get to business, shall we?”

With the elegance of a cat, Chisa hopped into the center of the room, now going on and on about a class representative of all things. It was something that might have intrigued a younger version of himself, but he digressed. A leader role was usually always given to someone like Nekomaru. It would just be cliche to take that role, right?

He had noticed earlier that one student was missing. It appeared naturally that the missing student was Akane, the girl he had met near his dorm room. She was almost always late, her eyes uncaring and oblivious to the world around her. The girl was insanely bad at socializing, almost always forgetting others’ names. But she was slightly fascinating, like a car crash in slow motion. He couldn’t deny that she had amazing potential, even with how little he knew her.

“Yo! Guess I’m late.” And there she was, almost knocking down the door as she bounded inside the room. She didn’t even apologize for being late. Chisa looked up from her calendar.

“Oh, Owari! You’re a good two hours late.” Chisa gave out a very “I’m so done with you” sort of smile towards the newcomer, who just scratched her head dismissively.

“Two hours? That’s just crazy.” 

“Fucking really?” Fuyuhiko shook his head, just disappointed more than anything else. Chisa shot him a glare from the corner of the room.

“Well, I’ll try to do even better next time! How does that sound?” Akane said, slipping into her seat in front of Nekomaru. It was so strange. She barely even seemed to wave at others, or really even look at them straight in the eyes. Similar but oh so different from Nanami, who hadn’t stopped playing the game in class. Her eyes were concentrated and they wouldn’t stray from the handheld screen. 

Class 77-B was a big, hot, flaming mess. 

**...**

It was almost a relief when class was finally over. Now it wasn’t that the time spent in class 77-b was necessarily bad. In fact, he was sure that Chisa Yukizome meant her absolute best, if it weren’t for the fact that the students themselves were horrible. Not once had Nekomaru ever seen a classroom so corrupt and full of differences that could make the strongest union collapse. 

But he couldn’t allow himself to be totally weary. After all, tomorrow was another day. Tomorrow was another day. The more he repeated it in his head, the more it seemed like jumbled letters and not actual words. Nekomaru sighed as he stumbled out into the courtyard. It was a nice enough day. He could be in his dorm resting by now, but he was running low on several items…Maybe he could go shopping.

Why not? A quick trip to the grocery store never hurt anyone. Besides, he could jog on the way there and get that rush he knew he needed! Great! Awesome! Fantastic!

Already starting on his feet, he quickly built up a good sweat as he ran across the pretty much empty courtyard. It was honestly refreshing, a great start to the afternoon. He had almost made it across the yard when he noticed something, though. It was by the fountain in the middle of the pathway, surrounded by small brown stones and hedges all around. 

Chiaki Nanami was playing a game. Beside her was a very average looking boy with pretty impressive style, a suit and tie being his go-to getup. They weren’t talking. Rather, their intense expressions were kind of intimidating. Nekomaru almost didn’t want to approach, since it would probably be incredibly awkward, but he could always make conversation with people like her before. Why not? Why not, he repeated.

His large figure didn’t make for a subtle approach, and though he tried to walk without disturbing the two, the average looking boy noticed him immediately, instantly took away from the game. His green eyes blinked several times, as if he didn’t know what to say. A tell tale sound of a game over screen was heard, signaling Nekomaru to announce himself.

“Please excuse me! Carry on with your video games or whatever you do.” he coughed, “Have a good afternoon, Nanami!!”

“Hm-Wha?” Her glazed over eyes adjusted to his appearance, and she went to pause her game. “Oh. Hi, Nidai.” 

Nekomaru was shocked. This was the first time she had ever said his name. He was surprised she remembered it at all, given her tendency to sit by herself always, whether it be at lunch or in class. However, he had no means to continue sticking around.

The boy looked at Chiaki with a confused look when Nekomaru turned to leave, and she answered plainly. “He’s a member of my class.”

“Oh, yeah. I mean, from what you said about them, he must be the tall one.” Hajime whispered the last part, “Loud as well?”

“Mhm.”

Nekomaru couldn’t help but be amused. If that’s how people saw him, then honestly he wasn’t surprised. Sometimes when you were constantly in an environment, it changed you, and soon you became different. It was the same for Nekomaru. Sometimes he wasn’t sure that he _was_ that child in the hospital, the one who cried and cried and sat alone by the windowsill every day. 

The only time he could truly believe that was him was when he would worry too much or exhaust himself without proper prep, and his chest would clench suddenly. It would be like a painful vice, demanding and screaming at him to take more of those daily pills that were prescribed to him for years now.

So maybe if he could somehow change that girl’s perspective...Maybe that’s what he wanted to do. He didn’t need to do it necessarily. Chiaki was fine on her own, if not pretty sad looking. She appeared to only have one friend at school, and he was in the reserve course, or so it seemed. They wouldn’t even be able to see each other normally. According to Nekomaru, this was a problem. He didn’t need to fix it, but he wanted to. Maybe that’s why it spoke to him more.

If life was truly like a butterfly’s wing, to be changed to a different path in the slightest direction, then Chiaki’s own choices could be influenced thanks to others. Nekomaru honestly didn’t know exactly why he wanted to do this so fervently, but that was instinct calling. Instinct didn’t ever have a distinct reason. It just was.

And he turned around and marched back to where the two had gone back to their game, just being quiet as usual. This placidness was ruined, however, when he decided to stir the pot again. 

“HEY! YOU THERE!”

The average looking boy was reduced to a puddle, almost thrown against the fountain and plunging in. Chiaki was still looking at her game like nothing happened. Time spent in class 77-b could do that to a person…

“H-Huh-”

“I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!”

“That-That wasn’t even a question, though…” The boy seemed exhausted already, his weary eyes blinking up at him in the midday sun. “Are you going to mug me?”

“MUG YOU?” Nekomaru barked, “No, no, no. I would never do that. That’s awful.”

“Then why are you screaming in my face!?”

“I was screaming? Hm, I must not have noticed. Anyway, I need something from you.” Nekomaru placed his hands on his hips like an impatient parent.

“Uh…”

Beside the boy, Chiaki offered no help, as she was way too invested in the game in her hands. Nekomaru shook his head, “Your name! I just need your name.”

“My...name?” The boy swallowed nervously, “Uh, Hajime Hinata.”

“Hajime Hinata? Heh, I like that! It’s a good name! A powerful name!” Inwardly, he kept a note of that name. He would need to remember it. “Also, another note is that you speak with no confidence whatsoever. Why don’t you try again?”

“Try again? Excuse me, but why are you so interested in-”

“TRY AGAIN! USE THE PASSION IN YOUR SOUL TO FIND YOUR TRUE VOICE!!”

“Agh, okay fine! But what do I even say?”

“ANYTHING! Just speak with confidence!”

It seemed as if Nekomaru was an oddity of nature, as his boisterous voice would blow people away like it was a gust of wind. He watched and watched for Hajime’s rebuttal, but he never came. He just hung his head and sighed. 

“I’m way too worn out to be talking like this. Long day at...at school, y’know…”

“Oh.” Nekomaru paused. He hadn’t thought of something like that. Hajime did appear exhausted when he approached him. A surge of shame overcame Nekomaru, and he was the one to bow in respect. “My apologies. I’m very sorry!”

Hajime was clearly taken aback by this. “No, it’s fine. I just-” He got up from the fountain and waved to Chiaki goodbye. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Nanami.”

“Oh. Bye, Hinata-kun.”

Hajime looked at Nekomaru one last time, “Nice meeting you..?”

“My name’s Nekomaru Nidai. Don’t forget that!”

Hajime sarcastically smiled, “Yeah, I don’t think I’ll forget _you_ anytime soon.” He wasn’t sure if this was a jab or a compliment. But Hajime seemed like a nice boy, so jabs weren’t really in a nice boy’s nature. 

He watched as Hajime finally walked away toward the reserve course, hands in his pockets as shuffled into the distance. His posture was horrible, but his confidence was even worse. Now he was alone with Chiaki, who had finally put down her game and was shoving it into her backpack. It was pink with a cat on it. He sort of found it cute.

“Wait, wait-” Nekomaru said, “Don’t tell me that I scared the both of you away!”

“Hm? Oh, no. It wasn’t that.” Chiaki mumbled. She averted her gaze like any shy person would. Obviously Nekomaru wasn’t buying it.

“Yeah, I must have. I apologize about that. Sometimes I just-” Maybe talking about himself wouldn’t help. He paddled away from that subject, “I just saw you sitting here with someone. I was surprised, y’know?”

“That I was sitting with Hinata?”

“Just...anyone, I guess. I’m sorry, Nanami.”

“About what?”

“Well, I...I guess I never reached out to you before. I’ve never seen you with anyone but Hinata.”

Chiaki yawned softly, “It's okay. You don’t have to be so concerned.”

She had never talked this much before. It must have been a new record. Whatever this was, he needed to keep going. “But you’re my classmate. I should be concerned! I mean, if class is really a nightmare for you, then..!”

“Hm? Oh no, it’s not that. I just don’t like loud places.”

 _Loud places._ Class 77-b was incredibly loud, sometimes even too loud for Nekomaru, and he was screaming his lungs out a few minutes earlier. Then again, this was only sometimes. It was no wonder someone like Chiaki was so quiet. A person like her would never be able to find her voice in an environment like that. 

Nekomaru sighed, “I apologize again, Nanami. I really didn’t think, and it was very stupid of me to-“

“What do you mean?” She tilted her head, “I like it when you talk like _this._ ”

“Talk like...this?”

“Mhm. It’s a lot more gentle.”

“Oh, I see…” A quiet moment passed between the two of them, allowing the air to become even more stiff than it was before. Different strokes for different folks, he supposed. In times like these, Nekomaru realized how little he had actually spoken to girls. Was that a bad thing? It was true that he wasn’t particularly swarming with charisma, but if he wanted to help this girl out, then was that so bad?

  
  


**...**

His mind wouldn’t leave Chiaki when he was at the store, too lost in his own head to pay mind to the shoppers that stared at him with awe, trying to figure out if he was a cosplayer or not. But he was being pretty domestic, just minding his own business for the most part. He didn’t have much money, but he was pretty efficient at saving what he could gather, so he rolled with that. 

Maybe there could be some way in which he was able to help the class and Chiaki all in one? There had to be some kind of plan, some genius strategy that would have to work. There was also a call for a class representative. Could he take that kind of role? Yes, he could, but did he want to? Not really. There was already so much leadership a guy like him could do. Maybe someone else deserved time to shine. 

It was when he was placing protein powder into his cart, that he noticed _her_ at the end of the aisle. He recognized her by the crazy hair. Akane’s eyes darted back and forth quickly in the mostly empty avenue, (she hadn’t noticed him, oddly enough) and she stuffed a package of something down her shirt.

Great.

Well, he couldn’t just condone shoplifting, especially if it was from a classmate. Sighing to himself, Nekomaru broke away from his cart and took several long strides over to her. Akane turned and jumped in surprise, her stance going from cautious to stiff in only a few moments.

“Owari-”

“Hey, Nathaniel! Wow, that’s weird that we saw each other, huh?” Akane beamed.

“Nathaniel? Ergh, you seriously forgot my name?” After all I did for you? he wanted to add, but that would just be petty. He didn’t have time to be petty.

“Uh, it’s something with an ‘N,’ right? Like N...Nathan...uh, Norbert-“

“...Nekomaru Nidai.”

“Ah, yeah! Thanks. Sorry, I’m just pretty bad with names.” Her smile was pretty cute, but cute didn’t excuse a crime.

“So what are you doing here, Owari? Who knew that you did your shopping so close to school?” He leaned against the shelf absentmindedly, trying his hardest to enforce a “casual” atmosphere. 

“Well, I like buying crap. It’s fun.”

“It’s...fun?”

“Yup. I have _tons_ of money so I might as well buy a _ton_ of stuff.”

Wow. She was barely even trying. It was amazingly pathetic. “Mhm, yeah. Does buying a ton of stuff involve you sticking food down your shirt?”

She paused and smiled awkwardly, “Hey, what does that even mean?”

“Stealing. You were stealing.”

“What? No, I wasn’t. You’re just playin’ around.” The way her eyes flickered with fire told Nekomaru otherwise, not to mention that he had literally seen her stuff a box of food in her shirt. She was a terrible liar, just like him. Emotions seemed to get the best of her in the end.

“Drop the act already!! I already know what you’re doing and you’re a shit liar, so just stop.” Nekomaru really wasn’t the guy to enforce rules like a dictator, but stealing was stealing, no matter if the thief was a classmate of his or not.

Akane finally sighed and shook her head, “Man, you really caught me. Fine, lemme just hand it over...” she reached into her shirt. Nekomaru prepared himself for anything.

Out of seemingly nowhere, her fist rushed forward as a trick of sorts. He blocked it as it crashed toward himself, and caught her left leg as it came down for a solid kick. But to him, it was easy to predict. The way Akane’s own muscles flexed before she lashed out, the uncomfortable clench of her jaw. She must have felt cornered.

“AGH-“ She shrieked, “How did you-“

“Impressive! You’re super flexible. You’ve just got to work on your speed.”

Akane began to growl like a wild dog, her teeth barred in hot anger. “Let me go, damn it! Stop holding onto me!” It was good that the aisle was empty save for them, or else she would have caused a scene.

“Give me the food then.”

“What?! No way!”

“Then I guess I’ll hold onto you forever, haha!!”

“Damn. Fine.” Akane reached into her shirt and pulled out the item in question. It was a box of graham crackers. “Happy?”

Not responding, Nekomaru grabbed the box and tossed it into his cart. Then he began to walk up to the front of the store, cart in his grasp. Akane stared at him like an idiot. She was probably flabbergasted, utterly bested.

But for a long moment she just stared at him as he turned to go to the checkout. He was now completely out of sight. Then she snapped back to reality and shook her head, running toward him quickly.

“T-That’s my food! You can’t just take that from me-“ but she stopped once she made it to the front. He was already checking out and minding his own business. Like some goody twos-shoes, he seemed to be chatting with the cashier. Akane crept closer.

“Yeah, I just can’t help feeling tired all the time, with these hours and all.” The clearly exhausted and thin cashier mumbled, the dark circles prominent under his eyes.

“Completely understandable!! You must be worked to the bone with how unfairly you’ve been used...”

“Tell me about it, man.”

“I’ve actually got a good recipe for an energy bar somewhere. Maybe I could give it to you?” 

“Sounds great, dude.”

While Nekomaru was fishing around in a bag hung by his side, Akane awkwardly walked up to him and didn’t say a word, so that when he noticed her, he hummed in surprise. 

“Oh, you finally showed up, huh?”

Akane just bit her lip in response, watching as her precious box of graham crackers was put into a bag and disappeared from her site. Nekomaru noticed her anger and shook his head. 

“Don’t worry! I’m not keeping them.” He dug his hand into his bag and pulled out a small slip of paper, giving it to the cashier. “My hand slipped when I wrote ‘teaspoon’ but just know that’s what it says, alright?”

“Oh, okay...Thanks.” The cashier wasn’t sure how to receive this, but he smiled nonetheless.

“It’s no issue! Now come on, Owari.” Nekomaru finished packing up the cart, and pulled slightly on her shirt sleeve. The tired cashier stared with heavy eyes as the girl stomped out of the store, growling all the way. It was still a lovely enough day. Many people were coming into the store as they pleased, and many more stared as Akane tore off out of the store with a growl, whipping around to face him.

“Give me my crackers or else I’m gonna tear your head off!”

“God, just hold on why don’t you? I wasn’t going to keep them.”

“You’re just saying crap so you can run away!”

“No, really! I’m not stealing _shit_ , okay?” He sighed and tossed the box towards her. She caught it as if it was a fragile piece of china. 

“I just wanted to buy it for you.” Nekomaru said. “Stealing is only going to land you in more trouble, so I figured-“

“Wait…That’s what you did? You bought it for me?” There was no way Akane could be confused at this, but she was. Her eyes were clouded over, showing that she was processing something far behind Nekomaru’s imagination. She didn’t even seem like her casual self for a second.

“Yeah, I did. What of it?”

“We-Well, that’s just not supposed to happen!” Then she flipped back, her arm striking out toward Nekomaru’s face. He shouted and stepped back.

“What is with you?!”

“It’s not supposed to happen...People don’t do that unless they want something!” Akane’s feet pushed herself away, and then she was racing toward the parking lot. It wasn’t hard to catch up to her, but she glared at him when he appeared.

“Owari, if there’s a problem-“ He reached out, but she shook her head quickly. Finally, she smiled despite herself.

“So what do you want to do to me?”

Nekomaru couldn’t-for the life of him-process just what the hell she meant by that. “...What.”

She just gave him a cocky smile, “Aw, don’t play dumb, man. I know you wanna give me a good old rub down, right? I can even take off my panties if you wa-“

“OH, MY GOD!! STOP!” 

There were about a million and a half things wrong with what she just said. Nekomaru didn’t even know where to begin. His mind was spinning. She HAD to be joking, right? 

“Huh? I thought you wanted to touch my boobs or something.” Akane shrugged. For some reason, she didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

“Um? NO? Where the hell would you get THAT implication?!”

“I dunno, I mean...You gave me that food last time, and you bought this food today.”

“And that means I want to do those horrible things to you?!”

“Horrible? But I get lotsa money for it! It’s great.”

“Owari…” Nekomaru didn’t know what to say. Now with the sun slowly setting over Tokyo, the crowds had dissipated and vanished into either their homes or the deeper parts of the city. Most of the cars in the parking lot were gone. It was just Nekomaru and Akane, standing by themselves on a simple evening.

“So like, why did you do that if you didn’t wanna cop a feel?”

“Maybe because you were starving. Maybe that’s why.” Nekomaru scoffed.

“But that just…” Akane softened her words, relaxing her jaw. In one of her hands, a box was held tightly. The other hand was flexing into a fist. “That’s not right.”

“I don’t understand what’s wrong about it. No one deserves to starve.” Nekomaru took a few small steps towards her, trying to figure her out.

“Ugh, you just don’t get it.” she mumbled, drawing a harsh breath. That attitude she was putting on was clearly faked. Something truly insecure and disturbing was hiding beneath that facade. Nekomaru knew it wasn’t his place. He knew that.

But...he just felt for her. He couldn’t help it. Maybe she needed help, more help than what a box of crackers and a protein bar would do.

“Owari, look. I’m just going to say this right now to get it out of the way.” Nekomaru noted that she had stopped moving for a second, eyes focused on him. “You’re incredibly lazy, arrogant, and not to mention a thief-“

“What the hell, dude!? I thought you were gonna say something nice!”

“You’ve gotta get the bad stuff out of the way to get to the good stuff.” He simply said.

“But I just don’t understand your issue, man. You’re like, way too obsessed with me.”

He guffawed, “I am NOT obsessed with you. That’s just called compassion.”

“Com...passion?” Akane tilted her head. How was she in high school? A senior at that? Wait, that was mean. Nekomaru sighed and continued.

“It’s the concern for the well being of other people.” 

“Well, thanks for caring or whatever, but I’m totally fine.” Akane then suddenly looked around them at the fresh night. The dusk was now completely setting in. Her eyes caught the reflection of the dazzling city lights. For once, her features appeared soft. “I still really wanna punch you, though.”

Now that was a surprise, with all the sarcasm in the world. “Punch me? Why is that?” 

“Because I thought you were stealing my stuff! I was super pissed off, dude.” 

“Well, sorry, but you shouldn’t have stolen in the first place.”

“Ugh! Who cares about that?! I mean, you caught me.”

“What if I didn’t go shopping today?!” He shot back.

“Shit!” Akane growled, “You’re being super annoying, you know that?!” She rolled up her sleeves and then placed herself into a prepared position. “You know what?! Why don’t you fight me right now?!”

It seemed as if the girl would never calm down, her nerves constantly on fire. Nekomaru was so exhausted just by the conversation. “In the middle of a parking lot?”

“I’m gonna carve you into the pavement, you crazy bastard!” She didn’t even wait for a real response. Legs kicked upwards immediately, and his fight response was triggered. 

He blocked the kick well enough, but then came another limb, this one aimed at his face. He quickly ducked out of the way, pushing her farther from him. He really didn’t have time for this. His groceries were still looped around his arms, for goodness’ sake!

“Owari, you’re being ridiculous! Just go home.”

“Not until you fight back! I wanna beat you, okay, old man?”

“Old man?” That was only slightly insulting. Was he really that mature looking? With a sigh, he placed the bags on the pavement. “Fine, but be prepared for a world of hurt!”

Akane laughed at the corny line, her eyes squeezed shut. “That’s just cheesy, dude!”

Once she ran forward again, he reeled back and then shot towards her. A fist met her side, and she was propelled backwards into the pavement.

He almost wanted to call out in worry, but then she was up again, and running toward him with a bloodied lip. Akane let out a strangled cry as she collided with him again and again.

And again.

It repeated for several more minutes, and Akane’s breath was becoming unstable. After her twelfth fall to the ground, Nekomaru just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Okay, you’re done.”

“N-No, I’m not.”

“Yes you are! We’re in a public parking lot sparring and punching each other, and I’m tired. Also I decked you like 14 times.”

“You did not! I got you plenty of times!”

“You’re seriously going to die if we continue...” Nekomaru let out a small ‘tsk tsk.’ “And look just how scraped your knees are.”

“A little scratch is nothing to worry about. All I gotta do is rub some spit in it and there! All better.”

Nekomaru could not even comprehend how disgusting that was, and how the hell the girl was still alive today? Was medicine just too out of the question? 

“That’s not even how it works, Owari!”

“Yes it is! It works all the time and I can prove it! Watch.” She then spit into her palm and-

“No, no, no, no!!” Nekomaru reached out and grabbed Akane’s arm before she could even THINK about rubbing spit in her wounds. He didn’t predict the awkward silence that would follow that, though. For some reason, she didn’t say anything, but just stared right at him with confusion.

Out of nowhere, he felt a small tug at one of his muscles. It was something he hadn’t felt in a while: wear. Some time in the fight that had just occurred, Akane must have bested him in some way, but he hadn’t noticed it until now. There was a dull pain on the back of his left arm. Not to mention that his heart was beating pretty fast.

Akane had managed to hit him. Just once, but she still managed to do it pretty well. He slowly let go of her arm, seemingly in a long trance. She looked at him with a bitter confusion. “Uh...”

So much potential. For a first fight, she had gotten him in a place where he hadn’t even noticed! That was incredibly skilled. Not to mention her guts as she continued to charge at him over and over again. It was stupid and reckless, but he kind of loved “stupid and reckless.”

There was also always the possibility of charity. He could always do that. Maybe in this situation, he could figure out some ways to help out more. Maybe something could be saved...

And then just like that, he had made a decision. 

“Akane Owari!” He called out, his voice brisk but confident. “I should be your trainer!”

“My...trainer?” Akane cocked her head. “Uh, sorry, but I already got one of those.”

“And what does he do exactly?”

“Well, uhm, he corrects my form every now and then. If I want his help, then he gets to hold my panties for free!” She seemed pretty happy at this fact, whereas Nekomaru was disgusted. Just how old was this trainer? No matter the age, Nekomaru had never wanted to punch someone harder than in that moment.

“Yeah, nope. You should stay away from him.”

“Well, you can’t tell me what to do!”

“I’m letting you make a decision, Owari, so please listen.” Nekomaru took a deep breath and tried to organize his thoughts. “I’m a team manager. It’s what I do and it’s what I’ve always been. If you decide to train under my wing, then who knows what we will achieve!”

She scratched her head. “I don’t understand why you’re so obsessed with me being a gymnast. It’s super boring.”

“It is NOT!” he grunted, “Look, I just know that you have a lot of potential and a lot of fighting spirit. It’s the perfect goal for an athlete, to be as determined as you are.”

Akane suddenly hushed, and her eyes widened a little. “Damn, dude.”

“So...What will you say?”

“I’ll say...sure, I guess.”

“GREAT!” Nekomaru laughed with ease, feeling very accomplished in that short amount of time.

Akane lightly smiled back at his altruism, “Okay, but about this deal...Does this mean I get to fight you whenever I want?”

Nekomaru should have realized this coming, but he was just too caught up in the moment...With resignation, he leaned down and picked up the grocery bags that were littered around his feet. 

“Yeah, sure! Whenever you want.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aight aight so I hope you guys all enjoyed it...:p it was just kinda a low key chapter to get characters ready to develop and so forth. What really interests me as a character is Chiaki herself, or rather, writing her. I believe she was done super dirty in the anime bc yikes. She was wayyyyyyyy too perfect. Not to sound like a broken record or nothing but she was just...perfect. I want to make her still the chiaki we know and love, but make her a little more...human. Since in this she is actually human, not an AI 😳😳😳
> 
> In fact I kinda hate the anime LMAOO like I want to change a lot of the stuff that I feel they did wrong. I’m just not a fan ...tbhhh
> 
> Also I am planning on updating the 5th chapter sooner than later I am again very sorry for the long as hell wait like I seriously died. Hoping that this fic won’t be longer than like 12 chaps! We’ll see what my mind thinks about that...
> 
> Also I freaking forgot how freaking fun banter is to write, especially between Nekomaru and Akane, those two crackheads. It’s kinda amazing to come up with insane situations and dialogue. Reminds me of it’s always sunny (my fav show lmfao) I just...Wow! I missed these two babes
> 
> What else...hm...OH! Yeah I also recently got into Zero Escape and holy shit is all I can say. In the future I definitely want to write something about certain characters but that comes after this...I got to do my mans Nekomaru justice after all. 🥺 he deserves the world 🥺
> 
> Also stan Gundham’s pet hawk 💅💅💅
> 
> But yeah uh here’s to hoping that I don’t straight up DIE again and actually finish this baby! Cheers and I’ll see you guys hopefully soon :””)


	5. Girl's Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seeking to unite the class, a strange alliance is formed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holy crap you guys. I bet its weird to see me alive huh? first of all let me just say SORRY for basically dying off the site 4 months ago. Like oh my gosh, I didn't think time would fly by that fast????? GEEZ...I hate using excuses, but I got quite a few things that kept me from finishing this dumbass chapter for so long in case u were curious:
> 
> 1\. I was lazy  
> 2\. I got zero escape and started a fic on it (BAD IDEA when already writing this but check out zero escape its so good like what the hell!!!!!)  
> 3\. I am still getting used to life in Arizona  
> 4\. I applied to jobs in the area, getting a job, etc  
> 5\. I HATE writing fluff. It's one thing that sets me back so this chapter killed me bruh. The angst in the future is gonna be much better to write.
> 
> But thank you all for waiting. I apologize a million times over and I promise that the wait for chapter 6 wont be as god awfully long as the wait for chapter 5. Honestly Im SHOCKED people actually like this but thank you all so much for the continued support and love of this stupid lil fic (not even sure if it’s OOC or not but I need to get in my DR groove again FRICK) 😭💕 srsly thanks a bunch agggghhhhhhhhh and enjoy the Nekomaru propaganda as scheduled!! 💕

After the travesty that was the evening in the grocery store parking lot, life spent at Hope’s Peak only seemed to increase in insanity. Every single day there seemed to be something new, something way more crazier than the next. To be honest, it was a bit tiring. For the most part, Chisa Yukizome had straightened order out, but there were still a few students that strayed from the group. Nekomaru happened to be dealing with one of them, though that was basically his own choice.

“And that’s why I think I could beat the crap oughta you next time!” came a voice to his left, and he almost jumped.

“Hm?” he looked down, remembering where he was. Akane was stretching on grass outside of Hope’s Peak. School had just ended for the day, and since he was her “trainer” now, that meant staying by her side.

“Were you even listening, old man?! I said that I’d deliver one of those high kicks to your head or somethin.’ That way, I could drag you to the ground and defeat you!”

She had been going on and on about this for about an hour, and he was sure he was going to lose his mind. He liked Akane, sure. She was determined and not afraid to take anyone’s shit, but damn was she exhausting, even for a person like himself-and he was the type to make others exhausted! Just what was this blasphemy?! 

“You’re too cocky, Owari. Why don’t you train instead of running your mouth?”

She glared up at him, her hair falling in front of her face as she laid on the grass. “You’re pissing me off again…”

“Good! Now redirect your anger into something more proactive!” He stood up to his full height, towering over her, even if she was pretty tall for a girl. He brought out his hand,“Why don’t we go for a run? Come on, it’ll be rejuvenating!”

She stared at him and then at his outstretched palm before pulling herself to her feet, ignoring his help. “As long as you do _it_ to me afterwards!”

Oh, _it_. Nekomaru knew all about _it_. In the weeks since the parking lot incident, he had introduced Akane to a special massage he had crafted a few years back. Nekomaru wasn’t a person to brag, but he had decided that the Ultimate Masseuse was a pretty fitting title for him. Apparently Akane thought so as well, though it seemed to make everyone around them uncomfortable. He really didn’t understand why. It was a simple technique, nothing more.

“Fine,” he sighed, seeing that she was already sprinting ahead of him. He sped up behind her, starting to grin. “But only if you beat me, Owari!”

“Aw, what?!” she cried as he caught up. Her legs ran faster and faster as she soared across the courtyard. He wasn’t going to go easy on her though. That’s not how a coach did things. So as she got closer to the “finish line,” he-

He stopped, almost causing Akane to crash against his back. Her shoes skidded to a stop, and she yelled at him as he stared ahead.

“Coach, what the hell? You coulda-” her eyes were entranced with whatever he was looking at, and she followed his line of sight.

As per usual, Chiaki was sitting at the fountain. That wasn’t the weird part. The weird part was that someone was talking to her-someone that wasn’t the reserve course student she played games with. By the long blonde hair that reached her waist, Nekomaru recognized the girl as Sonia Nevermind, the foreign exchange student that had come all the way from Novoselic. 

She seemed rather enthused with whatever she was talking about, but Chiaki’s face remained stone-cold, not looking up once. He wasn’t even sure if he had seen her open her mouth. 

“It’s, uh-” Akane hummed, “It’s just Sophie and Chalkie! Why do we gotta stop for those guys?”

“How do you manage to say a real name and then completely make up the other one?!”

“What? Those are their names, right?”

“...No. Look, you can keep running, Owari. Just let me stay here for a moment.”

“We’re not even racing anymore. It’s not even fun…”

Before he could respond, he saw Sonia walking back up to where they were at. She hadn’t noticed them yet, her head lowered deep in thought. They were still quite a minutes way away from the fountain, so Nekomaru leaned against the brick wall, Akane huffing in annoyance. Eventually, he gave the girl a wave.

“Hey, Sonia!”

“Ah! Nidai-kun and Owari-chan! Greetings!” Sonia took a polite bow, one that represented her title perfectly.

Man, was she polite. She was a princess, after all. Weren’t they supposed to be good at that sort of thing? Still, maybe she was a little too polite…

“What’s up? It’s strange to see you around out here after school!”

Sonia’s friendly expression quickly turned sorrowful. “Well, I suppose so. I apologize if I am trespassing of any sort!”

“Wait, no-”

“That was not my intention at all. However-”

“Sonia, you’re fine! Ha, I mean...There’s really nowhere you could trespass anyway!”

“I suppose you’re right. That was my bad!” Sonia let out a small giggle, a fairly feminine one compared to Akane’s yells of destruction, or whatever he could call them. The girl in question was staring at the grass and slightly kicking it with one shoe. She seemed bored.

Well, she’d have to wait longer.

“Is everything alright with Nanami?” he suddenly asked, cursing his boldness. 

“Oh, Nanami?” Sonia took one glance to the girl by the fountain. She was still playing that game, eyes concentrated and slightly glazed over. There was no way she’d hear them from there, but Sonia whispered anyway. “I am a bit worried for her, I must confess…”

“Oh definitely! Me as well!”

“You too?!” As he nodded, Sonia sighed with relief. “She has always been like this from the start of the school year. Every time I try to get closer, Nanami seems to draw herself away! She barely even talked to me just now, mostly ignoring everything I have said…”

The girl seemed very upset, her mind swimming with anxiety. But she didn’t let herself become overwhelmed with what she was feeling, instead propping her body higher, calming herself. It seemed rather forced, but as long as she was alright…

“Perhaps I shall talk to Miss Yukizome about it,” Sonia glanced back one more time at Chiaki, eyes full of worry. “That way, we could help her better.”

Looking at her now, Nekomaru saw that Sonia had a bigger heart than he realized. It made him smile. Even as a foreign exchange student, she tried her hardest to be friends with everyone. It wasn’t necessary, but she did so anyway in a way that truly spoke of her character. Not only was it shocking, but it was sweet.

“Why don’t I help you?”

Sonia gasped, a hand in front of her mouth. “You would do that?”

“Of course!! I’d be happy to!”

“Splendid! Thank you so much, Nidai-kun!”

Nekomaru just laughed, “Honorifics aren’t necessary at all!”

“Are you sure? Well, thank you so very much, Nekomaru!”

“THAT’S MORE LIKE IT!!”

Sonia laughed softly and looked over at Akane, “And what about you, Owari-chan? Would you like to come along?”

Akane looked up, “Huh? What?”

“She is my athlete. I’m sure she’d love to.”

“Huzzah! Now we shall leave!”

“Wait, what? Hey! I thought you were gonna do it to me! Coach!” 

But her calls went unheard for the most part as Sonia and Nekomaru continued to walk away, her coach distracted by something that was probably less important. Feeling a sudden urge of frustration, Akane scoffed and went to turn away. She had better things to do anyway.

With that, Akane turned to go home.

  
**...**

“You two are worried about Nanami?” Chisa Yukizome wondered out loud right after Sonia had admitted it. She was currently writing something on her desk, her face leaving the paper and yet her hand still continued to glide across the desk. Impressive.

“Yes, very worried!” Sonia brought her hands together, “Once again, I apologize for barging in here, but we thought it was important enough to share with you.”

“It’s no problem at all, though it was a bit alarming to see you Nidai together. Man, I thought the two of you were in the mafia for a moment, you being her bodyguard and all.”

At that, Nekomaru laughed while Sonia stood confused. “That wasn’t our intention!”

“Yes, I know you guys are good kids. I can see it in your hearts.” Chisa smiled, “And to be honest, I’m worried about Nanami as well...She’s quite a reclusive little thing, not even participating in any events or talking with...well, with anyone.”

Sonia nodded, “Yes, that’s exactly it! All we want is to encourage her to talk with us.”

“I’ve been seeing how Nanami acts for a while now, and I don’t think that talking to her is going to work.” Chisa muttered, thinking to herself. “Maybe I’ve got the docket open for a field trip in the future…”

“Field trip?”

“Now a class representative would usually be the one to choose where we’d go, but we don’t have one yet…And the voting for that is until next week, so-”

“Ah! What about an arcade?!” Sonia’s shining expression ws quickly put out as soon as she had accidentally interrupted her teacher. “W-Wait, I apologize, Miss Yukizome!”

Chisa barely had any time to react before Nekomaru shouted along with “Oh, yes! That’s a great idea!” and she sat wide-eyed at the scene, slowly starting to laugh. 

“You two are something else, and don’t worry, Sonia. I’d never be mad at you.” 

“That brings great relief to me…” the princess sighed.

“But an arcade is a great idea, as Nidai said! I’ll write it down for you two, okay? That’s next week.”

“Yes, Miss Yukizome! Thank you, Miss Yukizome!” the two students said as they walked away, quickly bowing before scurrying off to wherever they came from. Chisa smiled at the sight with a warm expression. Was this what it was like having children? If it was, she wanted more.

  
**...**

For the preparation of next week, Nekomaru and Sonia had formed a collective unit better known as “Befriend Nanami Squad.” The name needed work, but it was there for now, and the organization needed more members. After doing a runthrough of their entire class, two people really came to mind. Those two were Mahiru Koizumi and Ibuki Mioda. Another one was the quiet Ryota Mitarai, a shy but well meaning boy. He would be the hardest to ask, for sure. Nagito was also an option, but he seemed to just float around in his own head most of the time. Maybe if they got lucky with time, they could have those extra members, but it wasn’t set in stone.

Ibuki was insanely easy to convince, if not near impossible to have a sane conversation with. Luckily Nekomaru specialized in “insane conversations,” so the girl was on their team quicker than the two of them thought. The rest of the students seemed to do their own thing, including his own athlete, who seemed annoyed with him these days. 

But it wasn’t personal. The “reward” of _it_ wasn’t something that could be passed around like hotcakes. And besides, Akane would have to train hard to earn what she wanted. Whatever she said, he’d have to be firm. The prospect of bringing his class together was more attractive to him anyways.

“Mahiru-chan! Listen up, listen up-” Ibuki brought the protesting Mahiru further, grabbing her by the sleeve and nearly ripping it. 

The school day was over, and while everyone else was gathering up their things in the classroom, Nekomaru, Sonia, and new recruit Ibuki were persistent. The photographer was nearly yanked from her chair from Ibuki’s own excitement, and her hair was frazzled.

“M-Mioda! What are you doing?!” Mahiru was eventually let go in the hallway, and she dusted off her uniform with tact. She finally took a good long look at the three oddballs in front of her, especially squinting at the inclusion of Nekomaru. “What’s going on here?”

Ibuki giggled, albeit creepily as one of the lights flickered. “We want you to join our pact…”

Before Mahiru could interject or run away from Ibuki, Sonia added in. “It’s not a cult! I promise, no matter how fascinating the subject of cults is to me, I would never form one!”

“Okay, well-”

“THIS ISN’T A CULT, KOIZUMI!” Nekomaru roared.

“Okay!! I know that, alright?!” Mahiru swung her arms to her sighed, red in the cheeks, “But really, what is this?”

“Oh, it is our alliance for...befriending Nanami!” Sonia whispered the last part with a very excited grin. She seemed to be having the time of her life. 

“That’s it? Then why are you all being so cryptic?”

“We are?”

“...Yes.” Mahiru groaned, “And you want me to join...this alliance? I suppose Nanami is a bit of a loner. Whenever I try talking to her, she brushes me off.”

Ibuki waved her hand, “Exactly, right? She’s such a cutie, but what's with that attitude?”

“She’s just very shy. We’ve got plans for a field trip next week, and if you could help us out with it, that would be much appreciated!” Sonia added.

“And where is the class going-”

“THE ARCADE!”

“Which one?” That was when the group blinked at her with confused faces. Mahiru shook her head, slightly grinning. “You guys...You know you need to pick a location, right?”

“It just never came up!”

“Woah, really?”

“Oh, yes! We didn’t pick one! Haha!”

With all three of them talking at once, for sure cracking the foundation with how loud they were, (Mahiru was looking at Ibuki and Nekomaru for that, not Sonia) she set her bag against her side. “Actually, it seems fun.”

“WHAT!”

“I’ll find a good location for you guys, one that looks nice.”

Sonia was elated at hearing this, and she came forward to Mahiru with a comforting hug, squeezing the shock out of the frazzled girl. “Oh, Koizumi-chan! This is wonderful news!”

“I-I, um-” Mahiru hugged back, but a little embarrassed. “You’re welcome, Sonia. And if you don’t mind me asking, why is Nidai in this group? He’s um...a little out of place with a bunch of girls, don’t you think?”

Only Sonia heard, as Ibuki and Nekomaru were talking about something else. “Oh, not at all. He’s my co-founder of BNS and a great member of that!”

Mahiru stopped her, “BNS?”

“The Befriend Nanami Squad!”

With a restrained and tired smile, Mahiru nodded to herself. “Oh, of course. That, um...that makes sense.”

**...**

  
Being in a group full of much smaller girls was weird. Nekomaru was no idiot. Well he was, but at least he had common sense. A six foot six giant with chains across his shoulders wasn’t someone people pictured planning tea parties with three other girls. But he liked it. It was honestly a lot of fun, something less extreme than what he usually dealt with as a team manager. 

However, rumors always started with things like that. At the beginning of class and through morning dreariness, Nekomaru heard Kazuichi’s voice in a harsh whisper. He just pretended he couldn’t hear, but he did.

“Honestly, and it just makes me...Ugh! I honestly don’t know what she sees in him that she doesn’t in me! I didn’t even know Miss Sonia liked bigger guys…Help me out, man.”

“What the fuck am I supposed to say? Stop talking to me.” Fuyuhiko snapped, turning away.

“Oh, come on! You’re a dude, I’m a dude. We got a lot in common…” Kazuichi’s voice disappeared for a moment, “Wait a second, you’re not into her too, are you?!”

“Hell no! Shut up-” 

“Liar!”

“Kuzuryu, Souda!” Chisa looked back at the two with a coy smirk, “Do you want me to get the knife again?”

“N-No, Miss Yukizome!” Kaziuchi cried out in fear.

Most of the class erupted into laughter, save for a few. Nanami was one of them.

  
**...**

  
Every lunch hour, Nekomaru, Mahiru, Ibuki and Sonia would sit and plan out what they wanted. As the next week drew closer, there was less and less to even talk about. Still the group managed to stay around. Other kids around the table were stragglers, like Hiyoko or Mikan, the latter being dragged along by Ibuki so she’d have someone to eat with. 

“And so I was thinking of maybe setting up some small decorat-” Nekomaru was interrupted by Akane’s arm draping over his head as she snagged someone’s food away, “OWARI!”

“You fat pig! Those were my gummies!” Hiyoko screamed out, her hand pointed at the “fat pig” in question. Due to her sudden outburst, Mahiru almost fell over.

“Oh, those were yours?” Akane’s question was innocent, but it set Hiyoko off. 

“Yes, now give them back! Give them back now or I swear I’ll cry!” 

“Hiyoko-” Mahiru tried.

Akane stayed adamant, “I thought this was the whole table’s food!” 

“You’re not even sitting at the table, Owari. You’re just…” Mahiru paused.

“Walking around all crazy-like?” Ibuki asked.

“Y-Yeah…”

“Well, that’s because I’m all full of fighting energy and I need to eat something!”

“That’s stupid. Give them back now, bitch-cow!”

“Bitch cow?”

“Owari, just give the gummies back to Saionji!” Nekomaru rubbed a hand against his face. To think that this was just a typical day.

Akane hesitated but before she could say anything more, she set the bag of gummies on the table and turned around, leaving the others. She didn’t seem mad at all, but something was definitely clogging her mind. He looked back at her running figure as she got farther and farther down the hallway. 

“Wow, you’ve got her trained like a dog. It suits her a lot.” Hiyoko snickered.

“Hiyoko, that’s not very nice.” 

“Yeah, don’t call her a bitch-cow, Hiyoko-chan! That’s just a no-no.” Ibuki laughed.

“I was giving him a compliment even if I think he’s disgusting! How is that mean?!”

Nekomaru nodded with a small laugh, “I am pretty disgusting.”

“What!?” 

“Hold on,” Nekomaru pushed himself away from the table, “I’ll be back!” And before they could react or say anything more, Nekomaru ran down the hallway. 

He must have scared a couple staff members to death, as a person as intimidating as himself running at someone through a hallway must have been terrifying. But he meant no harm, his mind only focused on one person. 

Eventually he did find Akane in the courtyard again, her legs kicking lazily in the air as she sat down on the fountain. No one was there but her. Her head was pointed downwards, seemingly deep in thought. She didn’t notice him until he had walked over and called her name.

“Owari, what’s wrong with you?”

Akane jumped in place, almost falling into the water. “...Did you follow me or something?”

“You ran away! What was I supposed to do?”

“Not follow me.”

“Good point, but that’s not what I’d do. If you run, I follow. That’s just how it works.” 

Akane looked at him like he was crazy, and then she scratched her head. _Stubborn_ , he thought, sitting next to her on the fountain. She seemed to be still thinking about something deep within her. He wasn’t one to pry, but he supposed a break wouldn’t hurt.

“Why don’t we go out for lunch?” he asked out of the blue, catching her attention. Her eyes said yes (a million times yes) but she shook her head quickly.

“Nah, I’m good.”

“What do you mean ‘nah I’m good?’ You just stole Sainoji’s gummies. Come on.”

“Well, I-” Akane hung her head and gave in, “...Where do you wanna go?”

  
**...**

They settled on a burger joint rather close to Hope’s Peak. By the time they got there, the two of them didn’t have long before class started again, but Nekomaru already figured Akane was a fast eater. By the time the burger was in front of her, it was gone. It was truly a magnificent sight. Now her face was pressed against the cheap little table with her eyes closed. _Low blood sugar?_ he wondered.

“You gotta stop…” she murmured out.

“What?”

“With the whole…feeding me thing? I can feed myself-” Akane groaned a bit, “But um, thanks?”

“It’s no problem! I was happy to do it.”

She grinned, shaking her hair as she set herself upward. “Man, did you see Hilda’s face when I took her gummies? That was just crazy.”

“Again, her name is Hiyoko Saionji, but yeah.”

“Hiyoko...Saionji, hm…” Akane brought her hand to her forehead and whispered over and over, “Hiyoko, Hiyoko, Hiyoko-”

“What’re you doing…” he couldn’t help but mutter out in complete astonishment.

“Oh, well if I say a name over and over then I won’t ever forget it. Didn’t hafta do it with yours, though. Not the second time.”

“Why not?”

“Cause you totally bested me, old man, and no one’s done that before. I’m still ready for a rematch whenever!”

He laughed, “Yeah, no! Not here.”

“Yeah, yeah. Later, unless you still gotta hang out with uh...those girls.”

“Our classmates. And like I told you before, it’s for Nanami.”

“I know, I know. Don’t you try and lecture me again.” Akane pulled her order’s paper bag into her lap, and she pushed one of the things she ordered into it. It must have been the box of nuggets she hadn’t yet eaten.

“Not hungry anymore? It’s probably time to go, anyway.”

“I’m still pretty damn hungry.” Akane grunted. She was always hungry, almost always looking for something to consume. It nearly drove her mad sometimes. “These are...for someone else.”

“Oh?”

“My siblings. There’s four of them, and they need more food than me.”

“Siblings…?”

Honestly, it made a lot of sense. The shoplifting, the protectiveness over her belongings...Akane had four siblings, probably all younger than she was. It made so much sense that it was almost blinding. 

“Yeah! They’re pretty great, but man do they go crazy sometimes!” Akane laughed to herself, completely at ease. This look on her was nice. It was such a relief to see, especially after what had happened earlier. The fact that she was smiling like this meant a lot to him.

“If they’re your siblings, then no wonder they’re crazy!”

“Don’t worry, coach. I taught them everything I know. They’re all set.”

“Are they now?” 

“Hell yeah they are! I just uh,” she peered into the bag’s opening. “I shouldn’t have eaten the whole thing.”

Something else clicked. Maybe that’s why she swiped Hiyoko’s gummy bag. Maybe it wasn’t for her. If that was true, then her family was...No, they couldn’t be starving could they? Nekomaru glanced down at his own side of the table. He hated fast food, but it was okay when consumed lightly, so he had just gotten a burger and fries. The burger was gone, but most of the fries remained.

“Here,” and he handed over the small container of fries to Akane. She looked at him weirdly again. 

“Coach, not again…” she muttered, “I told you I-”

“It’s for your siblings. Don’t worry.”

At that, Akane let out a small chuckle as she took the fries from him, placing them in the bag. “I dunno why you keep doing things like that...You’re so weird.”

“Tell me about it.”

Akane pushed herself up to her feet, and she held the bag tightly as if her life depended on it. “But thanks again! I’ll tell them it was from you.”

“Tell them it was from me? Do they even know who I am?”

“Uh, I’ll just say a scary buff dude gave me some fries after chasing me. That’s good, right?”

Nekomaru couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him.

  
**...**

Sooner than the BNS realized, the day of the field trip was inching nearer and nearer until it was actually the day of. Had one week really gone by that fast? Truth is, the four of them couldn’t help but be a little nervous. This was a result of their hard work after all. Chisa had helped of course, but she had let them let the group go off on their own. 

After Chisa had announced where’d they’d all be going, however, was when the class became alive. Some of them couldn’t care less of course, (Fuyuhiko was in this category) but most of the class was excited. Nekomaru didn’t ignore the way Chiaki’s eyes brightened at the mention of it.

With the four of them acting as the leaders of the group, they were off sooner than it seemed they would be. And when the class arrived at the arcade in question, Nekomaru knew that Mahiru did a good job. He wasn’t one for video games at all, but he could see how the fluorescent lights affected Chiaki. Her breathing seemed to be lighter. At this, Sonia and him shared a wink.

Everyone had basically split up into whatever groups they wanted to be in. Ibuki, Mahiru, and Sonia stayed nearby, but Sonia was especially close to his side. Akane was meanwhile gawking at how strange the machinery around her was. She hadn’t seen anything like it. It tugged at his heart, though he didn’t know why.

“Nekomaru,” Sonia tapped his arm, “Nanami is by herself again…”

She was right. Nanami was alone, but she was on her phone this time, taking a picture and seeming to send it to another person. She was...texting? Now that was unusual. Did she have friends at home? Maybe that was why she appeared so lonely.

“Sonia, let’s take care of this once and for all. What do you say?” The princess seemed surprised, but she grinned anyway and set forth toward the girl, Nekomaru following close behind.

“Nanami, hello! Do you like the arcade?”

Due to Sonia’s sudden appearance, Chiaki jumped and almost dropped her phone. She recovered quickly however, and maintained the same expression she always wore. “It’s nice.”

“It’s super nice! Koizumi’s great for that!” Nekomaru then gave the girl a resounding thumbs up, to which she reciprocated with a small smile at the end of the room.

“Koizumi planned it?”

“Well, how to say it…” Sonia hummed to herself, “Koizumi, Mioda, Nid-I mean, Nekomaru, and I did! We thought it would be a lot of fun.”

“Oh...I didn’t know that.” Chiaki, for once, put the technology back into her pocket. But she was still averting her eyes. “I didn’t know you guys would plan something for everyone.”

Good, she wasn’t suspicious. Nekomaru felt relieved at that. “It's been sort of a big project since last week! Honestly, I’m surprised we held it together for that long.”

“But a week is only seven days.” Chiaki said.

“That’s about a decade in this class! Getting shit done is almost impossible with people like me around!”

To both of their surprise, Chiaki smiled at that. They must have been getting somewhere! Sonia took that as the ultimate signal. “Nanami-chan, do you want to play games with me? They do not have arcades in Novoselic, and I have always wanted to look around one!”

“Oh, they don’t have arcades? That’s...” Chiaki trailed off before nodding, “Okay, let’s go.”

“Let’s go?!”

“Mhm, let’s go here first-“ And with that, Chiaki had taken Sonia away with her. Nekomaru stood there like a dumbass until he had completely woken up from his shock. 

“Owari!!”

“Huh?” Akane’s voice called from the right. Sooner than later, she was beside him. “What’s up? I was looking at the crazy TVs.”

“Oh, they’re not TVs . They’re...hrm...They’re just screens. That’s the best way to describe them.”

“Oh, well that’s just weird. What kinda place is this anyway!?”

“It’s an arcade,” he said, “I need a partner for what I’m gonna try.”

“Like for robbing a bank?!”

“It’s for a game. It’ll be fun, I promise!”

Akane stared at him for less than a minute before she shrugged, “Sure, okay.”

It took a while to find Sonia and Chiaki, but eventually they found the two girls by one of the large racing games. Chiaki was looking the console over with an almost motherly instinct, while Sonia stood there and waved at him.

“There you are, Nekomaru! Join us for a game of ‘Hell Racer!’”

“It’s a good game series,” Chiaki muttered, “Their first hit was in 1993. Golden years of arcade machines.”

Sonia cheered, “I’m so excited to watch you play it, Nanami! Please, one of you please sit in the seat next to her!” 

“But aren’t you playing with her, Sonia?”

“Nonsense. I’d rather stand and see how it’s done! Nanami plays professionally on the internet, so I’d like to learn from the best, if you will.”

“Professional? On the internet? What the hell-” Nekomaru was just clueless. Gamers would only continue to confuse him. 

“Erm, sometimes...When I need the money.” Chiaki said, setting herself into one of the seats.

Before he could answer, someone else had landed in the seat next to Chiaki. Judging by the multicolored hair, it was-

“Aw, man! I gots to compete against the Ultimate Gamer! What an honor!” Ibuki did a singular “Woop woop” and slammed her hand on the wheel, utterly bewildering poor Chiaki. But judging from the girl’s surprised yet amused expression, they hadn’t failed yet.

“Mioda, you want to race against me?” the girl asked quietly.

“Yeah! Let’s do this thing, Chiaki-chan!” Ibuki tossed a couple coins into the slot, and the screen lit up. Sonia was in awe, Akane yelled and jumped backward, and Nekomaru just laughed loudly at the scene taking place.

“And you can customize your own car?!” Sonia asked the patient Chiaki, who smiled and nodded.

“Mhm, it’s common in Hell Racer. Do you want to choose the color?”

“Hm, how about purple? It’s a noble color!”

“I dunno about you guys, but I’m choosing rainbow for mine-” Ibuki cut herself off by almost spilling a sod she had bought, and she yelped. 

The race started off fast and oddly exciting for an arcade racing game. Ibuki’s rainbow car had a nice few moments, but she had ran into too many people, causing digital genocide as she went. Akane had gasped at that, asking if those people were actually really dead. 

But Chiaki hadn’t faltered once. Each moment she took was precise and each turn was perfect. It was as if she had practiced on this one machine for years, but she probably hadn’t even been here. How on earth was she this good? Well, she was the Ultimate Gamer, but it wasn’t just that. It was almost like she didn’t need to breathe, always concentrating on a game, whether in her hands or in an arcade. It was phenomenal. 

Eventually, the race had begun to turn into a close. Ibuki’s car had hit Chiaki’s several times beyond her war cries, but she stayed put. Sonia was even yelling now, getting weirdly aggressive like a soccer hooligan. It had to be one of the funniest things Nekomaru had seen in his life.

“Goddamn! Shit! Nanami-chan, be sure to dodge that-”

He couldn’t stop himself from laughing so hard, but when he did and opened his eyes, Akane was looking right at him. Right before she changed her expression, it seemed to be one of contemplation. She was thinking hard about something again. Nekomaru was about to ask her, when-

“Nanami-Chan! You did it! You did it!”

“OF COURSE I LOST!” Ibuki screamed over the blaring speakers, “The Ultimate Gamer totally kicked Ibuki’s butt!”

“GG,” Chiaki said plainly, a smile across her face. It was shy, but it was there. Ibuki saw it, and shook her hand.

“Yeah! GG! Or however the French say it-” And with that, Ibuki saluted and ran off to somewhere else, finding herself needing to do something more.

“Oh, Nanami! I’m so proud of you!” Sonia leaned forward toward Chiaki with a quick hug, pulling her tight to her chest. The girl froze, and so did Nekomaru, if he was being totally honest. Shockingly though, Chiaki smiled and returned the hug. 

“It wasn’t anything special. Just takes a lot of...practice.”

“A lot of practice made you that skilled. You should take pride in that!” Sonia drew away and looked at Nekomaru for support. He didn’t know what he was doing, but he had let his hand pat her head before he could stop himself.

“AHA, YEAH! You did amazing, Nanami! You really did!”

Chiaki’s cheeks flushed thanks to all the attention, and she looked up at him, and then at Sonia again. She smiled softly, almost puffing out her cheeks in embarrassment. “...Thank you.”

Sonia had continued to talk with Chiaki, eventually settling with fully introducing her to everyone else. It was nice, but Nekomaru found himself falling away from the group and even Akane. He needed to find one last person, someone he hadn’t found yet. At last, he found Chisa Yukizome standing near the exit of the arcade, hand on her ear as she held a phone to the other.

“Yes, yes, I know about that. Kyosuke, why are you getting worried about me all of the sudden?” he heard an exacerbated sigh, one of amusement. “I’ll see you guys soon, okay? No need to worry.”

She hung up quicker than he thought she would, and Nekomaru walked over to her. “Miss Yuki-”

“AH!” Chisa almost fell over again, before laughing to herself and shaking her head. “Nidai-kun, you need to stop scaring me like that!”

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to-”

“No, no, it’s fine. It’s always a pleasure to talk to one of my students. And speaking of which…”

“Hm?”

“You’re doing an amazing thing, you know that?” Chisa’s eyes were glowing with something, and he had to guess it was pride. He couldn’t help but be flustered at what she was saying. “Me being a teacher and all, it’d be a little weird to become buddy-buddy with Nanami, but the four of you putting this event together...I just...”

“Miss Yukizome?”

“I do care for all of you so much. I know the school year only started a few months ago, but you’re all a great bunch of kids.” She seemed a little emotional, and he wasn’t sure why. 

“Uh, thank you, Miss Yukizome, but I was actually going to ask if you, well…” he scratched his ear.

  
“Sadly, I’m not much of a gamer...not like Nanami at all.”

“Oh, me neither. I hate video games!”

“Hate them? Wow, that’s a powerful grudge you got there, Nidai-kun.” Chisa snorted.

“They’re so distracting! Not to mention they burn right through your eyes!” Nekomaru paused, “But if Nanami likes them, I’d be happy to play a few for her.”

That made Chisa stop for a moment, and the rich emotion was back in her face. “You’re such a sweet boy.”

“W-WHAT?!” 

Now if he was expecting anything, it wasn’t that. Not only because of the word “boy,” (For god’s sake, he talked about bowel movements and had the presence of a professional wrestler. Boy was not something people usually used when describing him) but also because of how much the conversation was aimed at him. Nekomaru didn’t usually receive compliments like that.

If anything, compliments toward him were directed mainly at his power, how he coached people and brought them out of darkness or whatever. Not this. Not...sweetness. Of course, it felt nice. It felt really nice to be called sweet, but his face was heating up.

Chisa started to giggle like a schoolgirl, “I mean it! I really do, Nidai-kun. You’re so good to your classmates. No wonder you were picked for your ultimate. It truly shines through.”

He didn’t really know what to say. Mind run dry from ideas, he stumbled out a small “thank you” and began to examine the floor. Oh no, it was coming back wasn’t it? Days at a hospital coming back, social awkwardness rising up again. He couldn’t let that happen.

“Miss Yukizome, have you heard anything about the class rep?” he distracted himself instead, insisting he couldn’t go back to that place.

“Oh, no. I haven’t heard anything...However, I do have an idea.” she set a hand on her hip, “I’ve got a box. In that box, I’m going to have you guys place a name into it. We’ll do it by majority vote! How does that sound?”

“Yeah, that sounds great!”

“Good! Did you...Did you have anyone in mind?”

Nekomaru glanced back at the rest of his classmates, all spread out in the area. His eyes finally found Sonia, continuing to have the time of her life with Chiaki, Ibuki, and even Akane. He returned back to Chisa, nodding to himself. If anyone had to be class representative, it was her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (wasnt really sure how to end this chapter tbh. Fluff is really hard sometimes ughfhfhfjf) but I love you guys!!! kudos are always appreciated!! I promise to get back to you soon !! 
> 
> ALSO LATE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONIA! LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!!!!!


End file.
